Regional Convention Inspired

Home from a fun girls weekend away with my bestie!  We both attended the Stampin' Up! Tacoma Regional Convention and had so much fun!  I came home with some great new business ideas and a million new paper crafting ideas too!  Not only did I get to spend the weekend with my friend, but I also met some great new friends as well.  Hoping to see them all again at the 2013 Convention in SLC :)

One of the presentations that was shared with us included some fabulous cards made using the Window Sheet Paper.  I never would have though to use the Window Sheet as the base of my card, but now I have so many fun ideas!

After I got home, I kissed my babies and hubby, put my stuff away and played with the kiddos for a bit.  As soon as the baby went down for his nap, I hit my craft room!  I still need to play around with stamping on the window sheet a little bit more (to avoid smearing the ink), but I put this fun card together...

Very quick and simple card to put together and so  much fun!  I stamped the spider web image on the Window Sheet.  The Crumb Cake paper is stamped with the Distressed Dots and placed inside of the Window Sheet.  How easy is that?!?!  I can't wait to try this with some snow flakes, but I must wait for some white StazOn to arrive first.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Window Sheet, Crumb Cake, Tangerine Tango

Ink ~ Jet Black StazOn, Basic Black

Stamp Sets ~ Distressed Dots, Mixed Medley, Border Banter

Stay tuned for more Regional inspired projects soon!!!

Happy Stamping!

Proud Momma Moment

Super quick post this morning!  I'm scrambling to get my kids up, fed and out the door to school, squeeze in a quick walk and head back to school for the Student of the Month Assembly.  BOTH of my boys are getting Student of the Month...I'm so proud of them!  I am heading out for Tacoma Regional right after the assembly and won't be home after school so I made each of them a fun card using MDS2.  This is my first real project using MDS and I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.  Still a LOT to learn, but I'm getting there!

I didn't write down all of the different sets I used in this and am running too short on time this morning to go back and check.  I will try to do that when I get home on Sunday.  Looking forward to a fun day tomorrow at Regional and super excited to spend the weekend with my bestie (and downline).

Happy Stamping!

Freshly Made Snowflake Sparkle

I finally got some of the pretty Glimmer paper to use for some Halloween projects and I have to say, I LOVE it!  And I knew it would be beautiful for Christmas cards as well :)  So, last night I put it to work...I saw a card on Pinterest (again, I know!) that gave me the idea of layering the Glimmer paper behind the white.  So pretty!  And the sketch this week over at Freshly Made Sketches gave me the perfect idea for the rest of the card.

(I apologize for the quality of this picture...the Glimmer paper and silver embossing reflect so much light!)

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper

Ink ~ VersaMark

Stamp Set ~ Greetings of the Season

Other Supplies ~ Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder, Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Silver Embossing Powder

Very simple yet very elegant card with the Glimmer paper...wondering what else I can do with it.

One more sleep and it's off to Regional in Tacoma!!!  Soooooo super excited!!!

Happy Stamping!

Blue Glass Birthday

Happy Birthday to my good friend Dar!  I created a pretty card thanks to the fun theme challenge this week over at  Hand Stamped Sentiments. 

The first thing I thought of was some beautiful cobalt blue vases with bright flowers in them.  While I couldn't create the cobalt blue, I did manage to add some bright flowers :) 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Watercolor Paper

Ink ~ Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Pacific Point

Stamp Sets ~ Fabulous Florets, Memorable Moments

Other Supplies ~ Holiday Ornaments Framelits, Stampin' Spritzer, Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon

To create the vases, I used the watercolor paper with the Holiday Ornaments Framelits and cut the bottoms off.  I sponged some Pacific Point ink over the vase and then sprayed them with a little bit of water using the Stampin' Spritzer.  Easy peasy!

Off to get my crew up and ready for the day.  I could use some good thoughts and prayers...fighting a horrible case of vertigo this morning :(  Praying it goes away quickly...this momma doesn't have time to be sick!

Happy Stamping!

Pinterest Inspired Christmas Deer

If you are anything like me, you are addicted to Pinterest and spend countless hours each week scrolling through and pinning everything!  My weekly meal planning often starts with Pinterest and many card ideas are Pinterest inspired.  I came across a card a few days ago with the retired Dasher stamp and thought I would re-create it with the new Christmas Deer Stamp.

Embossing this big guy with silver embossing powder brings out his true beauty!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Real Red, Whisper White, Candlelight Christmas Specialty DSP

Ink ~ Real Red

Stamp Set ~ Christmas Deer

Other Supplies ~ Bigz Snow Flurry, Corner Ticket Punch (retired), Silver Mini Brads, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Dazzling Details

I'm on a roll making Christmas cards!  At this rate, I'll have enough made when it comes time to start sending them out :)

Off to stamp a few more things before it's time to hit the hay.

Happy Stamping!

Christmas in the heart

Fall is officially here!  I spent most of yesterday decorating my house for Halloween and fall...so much fun!  Before I know it, I'll be taking those decorations down and putting up Christmas stuff...crazy!  But, I love decorating for Christmas, so I can't wait ;) Last week I got my order from the stamp club I attend and could not wait to ink up the new stamps I got :)  Now that my swap cards for Regional are all done, I finally have time to play again.  I came across a sketch challenge over at The Paper Players and my card fell in to place from there. Love it when you see a sketch and know exactly what you want to do with it!

The Paper Players

To be honest, the first time I saw both of these sets, I wasn't sold on them.  But I got the Snow Festival DSP and just had to get the Make a Mitten to go along!  I tried to resist the Heart of Christmas because I have so many Christmas sets, but I gave in and got it...so happy I got all of these!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Soft Suede, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Primrose Petals, Snow Festival DSP

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Primrose Petals

Stamp Sets ~ Heart of Christmas, Make a Mitten

Other Supplies ~ Mitten Punch, Snow Flurry Bigz Die, Argyle Embossing Folder, Dazzling Details

Loving the mitten...going to be making another card with it soon!

Until next time...Happy Stamping!

Indian Summer to Wonder{Fall}

Pumpkin Spice lattes, crisp cool mornings...warm, sunny, flip flop wearing afternoons...Indian Summer is officially here!  This is my favorite time of year!

It's been a busy few weeks for me and I haven't had a lot of time for stamping for fun :(  Between getting everything ready for my Stamp for a Cause class (which was a great success!) and finishing up my swaps for Tacoma Regional this coming weekend, I've been a busy momma!

As I sat and enjoyed a cup of coffee this morning and cruised through some of my favorite blogs and challenge sites, I came across the Friday Mashup Challenge for this week...Indian Summer.  It just so happens that one of my swap cards fits into this category perfectly :) 

My inspiration from this card came from the MANY acorns my twins collect each day when we take our walk :)  They love to collect them and leave them under random trees along our walk for the squirrels.  And every so often, I find a few of them in my washing machine...the joys of boys!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Orchard Harvest DSP

Ink ~ Raspberry Ripple, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade

Stamp Sets ~ Wonderfall, Mixed Medley (Hostess Set)

Other Supplies ~ 1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Square Punch, Autumn Accents Bigz Die, Naturals Buttons, Linen Thread

I love all of the warm fall colors in the Orchard Harvest DSP...I see myself using this paper a lot over the next few weeks.

Hope you are all enjoying the last little bit of summer and embrace the fall!

Happy Stamping!

Christmas Banners

Happy Monday!  Did you know there are only 99 days left until Christmas? How crazy is that?!?  Time for me to get in gear and get some Christmas cards made so they are all done when it comes time to get them in the mail :)

Banners are so "in" right now in the world of card making and I love them!  So many different things you do with them to give your card just the right added touch.  And if you haven't guessed, I am in love with the Christmas stamp from the Seasonal Sayings set...I have used it on so many different Christmas cards!

Sorry the quality of this picture isn't great.  My patch cord for my camera broke, so I'm having to use my phone for now.  Works in a pinch, right?

So, after I put this card all together, I realized that Raspberry Ripple wasn't one of the colors that coordinated with the cute Snow Festival DSP, but I went with it anyway (and tried not to freak out about it!).

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White, Snow Festival DSP

Ink ~ Raspberry Ripple

Stamp Sets ~ Seasonal Sayings, Merry Minis

Other Supplies ~ Merry Minis Punch Pack, Whisper White Bakers Twine, Mini Brads

Very CAS card, but lots of fun, bright colors for the holiday!

Back to work I go...MUST FINISH MY SWAPS for Tacoma Regional!

Happy Stamping!

Sweet Shimmer Pears

I'm on a bit of a kick...making cute Post-it note holders with coordinating cards!  This week's Color Challenge over at Create with Connie and Mary gave me a great idea for my next Post-it holder.

I loved the pears in these fabulous colors and could not wait to put them to work!

I started out with just the Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon, but decided it was just too plain, so I layered the Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain on top of it...love the added pop of color!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Summer Smooches DSP

Ink ~ Tangerine Tango, Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso

Stamp Set ~ Perfectly Preserved

Other Supplies ~ Cannery Set Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Linen Thread, Naturals Designer Buttons, Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon, Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain Stitched Ribbon, Gel Pen & Post-it Note (non Stampin' Up!)

And the card to go with this was CASEd from my Demo Page.  There are some great ideas there, so don't forget to check it out!  I added some of the Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz to the pears on the card...love the lite shimmer it gives.  I need to add it to the pears on the Post-it holder too!

Supplies Use

Paper ~ Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Summer Smooches DSP

Ink ~ Tangerine Tango, Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso

Stamp Set ~ Perfectly Preserved

Other Supplies ~ Cannery Set Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Linen Thread, Naturals Designer Buttons, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz

Cute little gift set for that someone special :)

Off to get my kiddos up and ready for school.  Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

TGIF and Happy Stamping!

 

Freshly Made Alphabet

My son Aidan is Mr. Memory...he hears the date of someones birthday one time and he never forgets!  On the first day of school, his teacher put up the birthday calendar and Aidan was quick to notice when her birthday was.  He made sure to tell me as soon as he got home...He said "you know you'll need to make her a card for me and Hunter to give to her."  I told him I would be sure to have a card and a little gift ready for her birthday, which is later this month.

This weeks challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments is to create something using the Alphabet.  The first thing that comes to mind when I think of the Alphabet is school, so I jumped on board and decided to make a fun little post-it note holder for Aidan's teacher.

What teacher doesn't use post-it notes?  This super easy little cover was fun to make and decorate!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Storytime DSP

Ink ~ Midnight Muse, Riding Hood Red, Wild Wasabi

Stamp Sets ~ Perfectly Preserved, Morning Post Alphabet, Family Reunion

Other Supplies ~ Cannery Set Framelits, Midnight Muse3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon, Mini Gel Pen (non-SU), Post-It Note (non-SU)

And of course I had to make a card to go along with this little gift, so with some sketch inspiration from Freshly Made Sketches, I was able to come up with a super cute card as well.  This week marks the 1 year anniversary of Freshly Made Sketches and the challenge was to use any sketch from the past year.  As soon as I spotted sketch #14, I knew it would be the one!

Here is my take on the sketch:

All of the supplies used in the Post-it note holder were used in the card as well.

 Aidan was very excited to see these when he got home from school today and can not wait to delivery them to his teacher in a couple weeks!  I love that my boys enjoy giving small gifts and cards to their teachers, friends and family...warms my heart :)

Happy Stamping!

Mojo Pals CASE with a twist

It's after 9:00PM and I'm wondering where my day has gone!  Summer break is over, my big boys are back in school and my work load has doubled in the last week...whew!  At this rate, I better start my Christmas shopping ASAP because it will be here before I know it!  My days are just flying by!  Being so busy means that I don't have quite as much time in my craft room, but I make sure to squeeze some in when I can.  Thanks to all of the great challenge sites out there, I always have inspiration for some fun card designs!

I love this weeks sketch over at Mojo Monday!  Clean and simple...my favorite! 

I had stopped by Pals Paper Arts one day last week and saw that they had a color challenge this time around and I knew that I wanted to do a Halloween card with these colors:

One of the PPA designers, Linda Callahan, had made a super cute card using the Frightening Feline stamp along with the little pumpkin from Button Buddies.  I fell in love with her card and just had to CASE it!

So, here is my Mojo Pals CASE with a twist (I had to flop sides for the embellishment on the sketch to make it work with the Window Frame):

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP, Summer Smooches DSP

Ink ~ Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade, Pumpkin Pie

Stamp Sets ~ Frightening Feline, Button Buddies

Other Supplies ~ Window Frames Framelits, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Spider Web Embossing Folder, Brights Collections Designer Buttons

I love this color combo!  I think this will make a fun card for one of my boys to send to their grandparents for Halloween :)

Off to wrap up the end of my day and get some sleep.  Mornings always come much quicker than I would like them too!

Happy Stamping!

Finally Friday!

I don't know about you, but sometimes the short weeks seem like the longest weeks!  Cramming 4 days of work in to 5, getting back in the swing of things with school and living the single momma life this week have taken their toll on me.  Just have to make it through today and my hubby will finally be on his 4 days off and I'll have an extra set of hands...and more time for stamping too :)

I did have a chance to make this card earlier in the week, but an just now getting around to posting it.  My mom needed a wedding card (my favorite to make) for a co-worker.  With some sketch help from Freshly Made Sketches I came up with the perfect layout for my card.

 



FMS51

The cute little champagne glass in the Embellished Events set is perfect for wedding cards.  Adding the rhinestones gives is just the right little touch of bling!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Basic Gray, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Twitterpated DSP, International Bazaar DSP

Ink ~ Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray

Stamp Sets ~ Embellished Events, Love & Laughter

Other Supplies ~ Scallop Trim Border Punch, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder

Eeek...my time is up!  I've got to get my kiddos up and get ready to head to my staff meeting.  I am so very thankful my parents live next door to us and can lend a helping hand on crazy days like today!

Happy Stamping!

Baby Boy Blues

School is back in session and as excited I get for school to start, I miss my boys like crazy during the day!  Thank goodness my sweet boy Owen still has a few years left before he's in school.  I'm going to have to borrow a baby when that happens!

I've been off a day this week with the holiday, but I'm slowly catching back up.  Made my way over to Mojo Monday for a little sketch inspiration this morning before the boys got up.  I was a bit stumped by all of the layers in this sketch and just couldn't decide what stamp set to use.  So, as I was trying to figure that all out, I hopped on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and I was no longer stumped!  This week is a color challenge and the fun colors totally inspired me to make a baby boy card.

Take the Mojo Sketch and the HSS color challenge...

...and here's what you get...

I love the Button Buddies set!  Add the cute little duck from the Embellished Events set and you've got a super cute card.  I may have to make this card in some shades of pink too!  Lots of weddings this year means lots of babies coming soon :)

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery, Temping Turquoise, Brights Collection DSP

Ink ~ Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Night of Navy

Stamp Sets ~ Embellished Events, Button Buddies, Sweet Essentials

Other Supplies ~ Adorning Accents Edgelits, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Stripes Embossing Folder, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Regals Designer Buttons

Better get myself out the door...early release at school today!  It feels good to be back into the school routine and have a set schedule every week day.  The more structure I have, the more I get done and the more free time I have for stamping...WIN!

Happy Stamping!

Celebrate!

It's Back to Spool time! 

The first day of school is tomorrow for my kiddos, but the during the month of September it is Back to Spool time with Stampin' Up!  You will receive a FREE package of 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon with every $40 purchase.  Choose from any of the 2012-2014 In Colors.

Gumball Green	Midnight Muse	Primrose Petals
Raspberry Ripple	Summer Starfruit

Visit my On Line Store today!

Here's a quick and easy card showing just one way to use this fun ribbon!

I simply cut a few small pieces of the ribbon, looped them over some bakers twine along with a few scallop circle banners and...voila!  A fun little celebration card. 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals

Ink ~ Stampin' Write Markers in Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Primrose Petals, Midnight Muse

Stamp Set ~ Season Sayings

Other Supplies ~ 1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon in Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green & Midnight Muse

Well, I ended summer break with an awesome night away with some of the best friends ever.  Enjoyed a great night of music, fun, laughter and memories.  I'm very thankful for my time away :)  My kiddos are all tucked in to bed, anxious for the new school year to start.  Off I go to get lunches ready and things in order for our first morning of our school routine.  I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and got to enjoy the last little bit of summer!

Happy Stamping!

Ahhhh....Saturday morning.  One of my favorite days of the week!  After putting in a full week at work after 8 days off for vacation, I am so ready for the weekend. And a 3-day weekend is even better.  Add in an over night trip with two of my best friends at the Dave Matthews concert at the Gorge at George and and I'm one happy momma!

The rest of my house is still sleeping, so after a run I snuck down to my craft room to play!  Worked on a few projects for some upcoming classes and events and also jumped over to Create with Connie and Mary to see what fun challenge they had on tap for this week.  It was a color challenge! 

Aren't these colors just awesome together?!?!?  So rich and full of life!  Here's how I put them to work...



CCMC216

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP

Ink ~ Rich Razzleberry

Stamp Sets ~ Fabulous Florets, Sweet Essentials

Other Supplies ~ Finishing Touches Edgelits, Brights Collection Designer Buttons, Whisper White Bakers Twine

Hoping I can sneak in just a bit more stamping before everyone starts waking up...busy day ahead!  Our annual fair is in full swing and the parade is this morning and then we will head on out to the fair grounds to check out all of the animals and maybe have some yummy fair food.  Thankfully my hubby was kind enough to take our big boys to ride all the rides yesterday :)

Happy Labor Day Weekend and Happy Stamping!