Picture Perfect Graduation

Happy Wednesday stampers!

Graduation season is officially here!  Another school year has gone by so fast...except for the very end.  The last couple of weeks seem to take forever!  I joke with my boys that I get summer-itus worse than they do.

I was going through some of my retiring stamp sets and thought that this sentiment from Picture Perfect Birthday would be awesome for a graduation card!  With the addition of a fun little graduation cap, it's a the perfect pairing!

I usually try to go with school colors for graduation cards, but these fun patterns of Animal Expedition jumped out at me.  I'm sure going to miss Berry Burst and Lemon Lime Twist!  Parting with In-Colors is always so hard!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Basic Black, Whisper White, Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Animal Expedition, Silver Glimmer

Ink ~ Memento

Stamp Set ~ Picture Perfect Birthday

Other Supplies ~ Silver Metallic Thread, Twinkle Adhesive Backed Sequins, Rectangle Stitched Framelits, Whisper White Bakers Twine

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope your day is as amazing as you are!

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc180 Color Challenge

Hello, hello! It's Friday and that means it's time for an all new TGIF Challenges.  This week we have a fun color challenge for you to play along with!

I have been in a bit of a funk the past couple of weeks, which means my creative mojo is nowhere to be found.  When I'm in a creative slump, I try to keep my stamping simple...and today's card is VERY simple!  I created my background with strips of black and white, then added a white panel with a few colorful candles.  I'm wishing I would have added a bit more color behind the white panel, but by the time I had thought about everything had been glued down.  Super simple card, it is!

Supplies Used:
Paper ~ Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink ~ Melon Mambo, Coastal Cabana, Mango Melody, Memento
Stamp Set ~ Picture Perfect Birthday
Other Supplies ~ Candle Embellishments, Metallic Sequins, Silver Mini Sequin Trim, Solid Basic Black Bakers Twine

This is our last weekend of baseball until early spring, which is bitter sweet.  I love watching my boys play!  But I am going to enjoy having a few more full weekends at home, which will hopefully lead to a bit more stamping!

Be sure to head on over to TGIFC and play along with us this week!

Happy Stamping!

Animal Expedition with Max

Hello stampers!  How are all of my stampin' friends doing today?  I can't believe we are almost through another week!  We have had a lot of fun so far this summer, but it is going by much too fast for me.  I am savoring every last moment until I go back to work.

One of my favorite parts of being off for the summer is having more time to stamp and not feeling rushed!  Stamping truly is my therapy :)  My friends grandson will soon be turning 3 and she asked me to make a card for him, which I was so happy to do.  I have made him a card each year for his birthday and am honored to create another one.  This weeks Freshly Made Sketches sketch gave me just the inspiration I needed for a cute card for the birthday boy!  

If you'll notice, I flipped the sketch a bit to accommodate the rhino...I didn't want to chop his tail off :-)

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Crumb Cake, Shaded Spruce, Whisper White, Velum, Animal Expedition DSP

Ink ~ Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, Shaded Spruce

Stamp Sets ~ Lined Alphabet, Picture Perfect Birthday

Other Supplies ~ Starburst Punch, Circle Punches, Large Numbers Framelits (retired), Glitter Enamel Dots

This sketch is a great way to showcase DSP...you can add different patterns with just a few circle punches!  Don't forget select DSP is on sale, buy 3 get 1 FREE until the end of July!

Happy Stamping!

Celebrating the Good Stuff

Hello stampers!  I hope everyone's week is off to a good start so far!

I had big plans yesterday of getting some chores done around the house after a doctors appointment, but thanks to a power outage, I had to leave some of my chores behind and had some time to stamp!  I checked out the latest Fab Friday Challenge and decided to pay along with their latest sketch. 

I got a little off track with the sketch when I added the cute little flag banners, but I just rolled with it!  I won the Pick a Pennant stamp set at OnStage in April and thought I had bought the coordinating framelits, but I thought wrong.  It's a good thing I love fussy cutting!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Tranquil Textures DSP, Garden Impressions DSP

Ink ~ Balmy Blue, Calypso Coral, Petal Pink

Stamp Sets ~ Pick a Pennant, Picture Perfect Birthday

Other Supplies ~ Layering Circles Framelits, Whisper White Bakers Twine

I kind of wish I would have used an embossing folder on this, but simple is good, right?!?!

I'm off to get my Christmas in July class supplies all cut and ready.  And I supposed I better do a little bit more yard work before I head back to my craft room to create.  I'm not gonna lie...it's going to be really hard to go back to work at the end of my summer break!  I'm loving my time off and somewhat unstructured days.

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc164 Technique Time - Doodle Bug

It's FINALLY Friday!  I don't know about you, but this has been one long week for me!  Between my kiddos getting out of school for the summer and trying to wrap things up for the end of my contract year at my job, I am beat!  I have one more week of work left and then I have a full 6 weeks off!  I am looking forward to a relaxed schedule and time to catch up on life!

Not having to get my kiddos up and out the door has given me a bit more time in my craft room the past couple of mornings.  This means I had time to create a quick and fun card for this weeks TGIF Challenges Technique Challenge!

I can NOT draw...this is why I stamp.  I was never much of a "Doodle Bug" when I was younger and still am not today, so this challenge was, well...a challenge for me!  I tried a few different doodles and they were not pretty, so I decided to keep things simple and add a few hand drawn lines around the edges of my card.  Easy way out, I know...but it does add a little fun to the card.

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White

Ink ~ Memento Tuxedo Black, Coastal Cabana, Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist

Stamp Set ~ Picture Perfect Birthday

Other Supplies ~ Iridescent Sequins

Do you like to doodle?  Show us your skills and join in the fun with this challenge!

Have a fantastic Friday and, as always, happy stamping!

Party Animals

Happy Wednesday stampin' friends!  We're on the downhill slide to the weekend...YIPPEE!!!  And we are officially one week away from summer break for my kiddos!  Where in the world has time gone this school year?!?!  It feels like they just started a few weeks ago.  In years past I have half way dreaded summer break because I was always stuck at home working while my kids and hubby were having fun.  But that all changes this year because I get summer break off too :-)

We kicked off summer over Memorial Day weekend and the fun continued last weekend as we celebrated the 3rd Birthday of one of our little buddies from our fire family.  His family had a fun party that included a HUGE slip-n'-slide, which ALL of the kiddos loved!  I didn't have any birthday cards on hand that were appropriate for a 3 year little boy, so I whipped up this cute and cheerful card before we headed out to the party.  Can you tell that Animal Outings is one of my favorites from the new catalog?!?

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Real Red, Daffodil Delight

Ink ~ Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends

Stamp Sets ~ Animal Outings, Hand Delivered (hostess set), Picture Perfect Birthday

Other Supplies ~ Polka Dot Basics Embossing Folder

I think one of the reasons I love the Animal Outings stamp set so much is because you can color the images.  Coloring and fussy cutting are two of my favorite crafting pastimes...it's so therapeutic!  And aren't the balloons from the Hand Delivered hostess set the perfect little addition?  They kind of remind me of the movie Up!

Thank you for stopping by today!  I hope you are having a great week and have some fun plans coming up for the weekend!

Happy Stamping!

#tgifc158 Color Challenge

It's Friday!!!  And we all know what that means...it's time for a new TGIF Challenges challenge!  This week we have a FUN color combo for you to play along with.  I absolutely LOVE these colors!

Lemon Lime Twist is one of my all time favorite colors.  I will be super sad when it retires next year, so be prepared to see a lot of it between now and then!  

This week has been freaking crazy!  I feel like I have been running since the minute my feet hit the ground until the minute I crawl in bed each night.  Sadly, I've had little time for stamping, but thanks to the awesome Picture Perfect Party DSP, I was able to put together a fun card in a hurry.  I love all of the fun images you can cut out of this DSP! 

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Basic Black, Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst

Ink ~ Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Tuxedo Black Memento

Stamp Set ~ Picture Perfect

Other Supplies ~ Black Mini Sequin Trim, Starburst Punch, Metallics Sequin Assortment

Isn't this color combo the BEST?!?!  It will be used again for sure!  Be sure to head on over to see what the rest of the design team did with these colors...you will be blown away!

Have a fabulous Friday!

Happy Stamping!



Freshly Made Sneakers

Happy Sunday stampers! Have you all had a great weekend?  As always, ours has been busy!  Our Saturday was full of sports...which is how our Saturday's will be until the middle of summer, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

I am supposed to be cleaning house and working on taxes today, but I got a little distracted when I started cleaning my craft room and decided my time would be better spent playing along with this week's Freshly Made Sketches sketch!

 

A friend requested a fun card for her niece who will be turning 9 this week.  This sketch was a fun way to use some of the awesome Bubbles & Fizz DSP along with my favorite Epic Celebrations stamp set, both from the Sale-A-Bration catalog.  I just LOVE those sneakers!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist, Bubbles & Fizz DSP, Myths & Magic Glimmer Paper

Ink ~ Memento, Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blends, Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay

Stamp Sets ~ Epic Celebrations, Number of Years, Picture Perfect Birthday

Other Supplies ~ Large Numbers Framelits, Silver Metallic Enamel Shapes

 

It's always fun to use products from different suites and make them work together.  I love that about Stampin' Up! products!

 

Okay, I've put it off long enough!  If I expect my father in law to help us with our taxes, I better get on it and get things gathered up for him before he leaves town tomorrow.  But then again...maybe if I wait, I could use it as an excuse to take a trip down to the Oregon Coast...hmmmm ;)

 

Have a great day!

 

Happy Stamping!

 

Simple Saturday

Hello stampers and happy Saturday!

 

Our Saturday's are jammed packed with sports between now and the end of June, so my stamping time on Saturday's is pretty limited right now.  But since I try to get in my craft room a little bit each day, I've decided to go with Simple Saturday stamping :-)  It's always great to have a quick and easy card for any occasion.

 

Picture Perfect Party Suite is absolutely perfect for creating a simple card. The two step stamps in the stamp set are so easy to use and create some pretty cute images, like these party horns.  Add some super cute DSP from the Picture Perfect Party DSP stack, a few sequins and BAM...you're done!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Whisper White, Picture Perfect Party DSP

Ink ~ Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Lemon Lime Twist, Old Olive, Peekaboo Peach, Berry Burst, Basic Black

Stamp Set ~ Picture Perfect Birthday

Other Supplies ~ Tutti-Frutti Sequins

 

I love the font in the sentiments in this stamp set too!  I pretty much love EVERYTHING in this whole suite!!!

 

I'm going to try to squeeze in a few more minutes of stamping before we head out again to my twins' basketball game this afternoon :-)

Have a great day and happy stamping!

 



Happiest of Birthdays

Happy Wednesday stamping friends...we're half way through the week!  After being gone from work for two weeks, this week is flying by catching up on all of my work.  Before I know it, the weekend will be here and we get another long weekend...hooray for an extra day of stamping!

I'm trying to get back in the habit of making at least one card a day.  When I worked from home, it was pretty easy to get that done.  Now that we have established a good morning routine, I'm gaining more free time, which means more stamping time!

Today's card is a pretty quick and simple card using the new Picture Perfect Party Suite.  I love the bright colors in the DSP and the fun stamps make for fantastic birthday card!

Supplies Used:

Paper ~ Berry Burst, Whisper White, Picture Perfect Party DSP

Ink ~ Basic Black, Pool Party, Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist, Peekaboo Peach

Stamp Set ~ Picture Perfect Birthday

Other Supplies ~ Stitched Shapes Framelits

 

This is probably one of the easiest two-step stamp sets I've ever used!  The pieces line up so easily and making the stamping a snap!  Be prepared to see more with this stamp set over the next couple of months!

 

I hope the rest of your week goes by quickly and you get some stamping time of your own in!

 

Happy Stamping!