Everything…..

I had some time today to play with Beate’s weekend sketch, hooray! And I have found another new favorite color combo……artichoke, basic grey and PTI’s aqua mist! It is oh, so lovely together!

*Sigh*

I am LOVING the 2 PTI colors I got, sweet blush and aqua mist. They are so pretty with such a number of SU colors, Nichole really did a great job!

Today my mom is coming over to watch the girls and Sean and I are heading down to Ikea. That’s about a 50 minute drive from us, I do wish one was closer. But since we don’t go that often it’s not too terrible. I’m looking for some new bookcases and storage items for my craft room! It’s time to decorate it and make it my own space! How exciting!!! I’ve been in it for almost a year but I have yet to paint it and truly make it mine! I’ll be sure to share all the exciting detail of it’s progress with you. (That is said in a completely sarcastic tone as since I can’t imagine too many of you are on the edge of your seat about this!)

I know I’ll squeeze in some more time this weekend for something crafty. I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!

The DEETS:

Stamps: Always-SU  Pretty Pattern BG-CHF
Ink: Aqua Mist-PTI   basic grey-SU
CS: artichoke, basic grey-SU  aqua mist-PT
Accessories: CB folder, aqua mist ribbon, dimensionals, sponge, 1/2 punch, slot punch, dew drops, liquid pearls

Easter Wishes!

Well here it is, the day before Easter and here is my first “official” Easter card of the year! Oh, that is so super sad! What’s even more sad is that I bought this set, “Bunny Hugs” from SU last year to make Easter cards with…..but that didn’t happen either! Well in my defense, last year we were living with my mom while our house was being built and all my craft supplies were packed into storage. Oh well.

But when I saw Beate’s weekend sketch I just knew I had to use it!

Oh, this is just the ultimate in Springtime and Easter cuteness! If I don’t sound like I’m tooting my own horn too much, lol! I just got the new CB swiss dots folder in the mail yesterday and it seemed perfect for a sweet little card. I absolutely adore this bunny and chick, and the set was $12 or $15 nice and inexpensive.

It was all colored with my copics, naturally. And the basket and eggs were stamped on another sheet and cut out and adhered with dimensionals. The little tail is a puff of liquid applique.

So I will wish you all a happy Easter! However you are spending it I hope you are doing something fun and relaxing! Sean and I are taking the girls to Grandma’s house to have our Easter brunch. I know that the Grandma Bunny got them some special markers and paper for Easter.

Stamps: Bunny Hugs-SU
Ink: adirondack black, pretty in pink
CS: pink, moss, banana-SU white-Papertrey
Accessories: Nesties, CB folder, punches, dimensionals, liquid applique, paper piercer

Inspired weekend sketch

Beate has recently started inspiration challenges during the week and I decided to start playing along. For this week I decided to combine it with her weekend sketch.

There are a lot of stamps and ink on this card. I stamped the large flourish from ‘Baroque motifs’ first in caramel and then in stamped off chocolate chip onto the DP, then I ran my antique linen distress ink pad over the whole thing and sponge the edges in chocolate ink. The vanilla CS that is under it had the distress ink pad run over it and then chocolate ink sponged on its edges.

For the main panel I stamped ‘French script’ first in river rock, then I inked up another section of it with the distress ink and stamped on top of it and sponged more distress ink on it and chocolate on the edges. I wanted the effect of the written words without really being able to read them, even if you know how to read french! (I don’t, although I want to and I am trying to teach Ava although I’m probably not the best teacher, lol!)

And the berry branch was in chocolate and stamped over and over. The design behind the sentiment are the small flower stamps from the ‘Always’ set stamped off 3 or 4 times in chocoalte ink. And more chocolate around the edges of everything.

Sean and I have had a busy weekend of cleaning and reorganizing the house, toys and getting the carpets cleaned. And today I ran some errands with Ava. I was just able to squeeze in some time to make this card before we head over to my mom’s house for dinner.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and had some time for yourself!

A fun little card

I’ve been on a roll today with stamp time! So I decided to tackle 2 challenges, one for Carolyn’s blog, a color challenge; lilac, celery and the optional yo-yo yellow. And I took that option, but just a touch! The second challenge this is for is Beate’s weekend sketch! And I have taken another liberty with the sketch and I’m calling the flourish under and behind the stork the rectangle that she uses in the layout. If you squint, you can see the resemblance between my card and her sketch!

Ok, three things with this card:

1) The flourish, can either be a beautiful flight pattern of flowers and happiness. Or the more I’m looking at it, it kind of looks like delightfully happy bird poo. But I am still on my nyquil high, so I’ll leave it up to you to see what you want.

2) I have sanded behind the sentiment………AGAIN!!! Last week I was addicted to the word window punch for my sentiment. But if you look at pretty much every card that I have posted in the last few days (and another one I will post later) you’ll see that the sanding block is getting a workout.

3.) Aren’t those little button brads C-U-T-E?!?!?! Those are another new Gina K bling and dazzle embellishment! I just had to use them with this little baby card.

Ok, I have one more thing to share tonight and then I’m off to work on some secret squirrel projects!

Stamps: How sweet it is-Gina K
Ink: Palette noir, SU markers in lilac, celery, blush, yo yo yellow and pumpkin pie
CS: lilac, celery and celery DSP-SU  white-papertrey
Accessories: copics, sewing machine, button brads, rub on’s, dimensionals, nesties, crystal stickles, sanding block

Thinking of you

I decided to make a card for my stash that I could use for a baby dedication. I never have back ups of these types of cards yet I need the frequently since so many people we know are having babies! The colors could easily be changed to fit a boy, and leaving out the rhinestone brads.

I just REALLY, REALLY like this set “He is risen!” from Gina K! It’s such a lovely set that can be used in so many different ways. I love having stamps that can be used for more than one occasion, who doesn’t? And the font is just perfect on this too, not too formal and not too casual.

This is a super duper quick post tonight, I’m sleepy so I am going to give in and go to bed! I have a few things to show you over the next day or 2 that I made for the MFT release but didn’t get to them. So I’ll finally get to show them now!

I hope you all had a great weekend, especially if you had a 3 day weekend!

Carte Postale

Today is grey and raining, the perfect kind of day to get some stamping done! I knew I wanted to do Beate’s weekend sketch, so that was on the list. I also have 25 projects that I’m making that I can’t share just yet. Well I could, but I don’t want to, I’m keeping them to myself. But soon, I will unleash the 25 projects and you’ll be so sick of them, you’ll be begging me to see something else!

So for something I can show you…….I used my crafty secrets “French Mail” set for the weekend sketch. I just love this set, all the little elements that are just so perfect.

The DP on the card is from that set of pastel paper from crafty secrets. It has a cottage rose on one end, so I just cut it off before any of the pink showed. I thought it was a great match for SU sage shadow. And that little cherubs legs are so deliciously chubby, I just want to nibble on them!

Tonight is date night, so we are going to try to run some errands and throw in a little fun. We need to find a new car seat for Audrey, well Ava really. Audrey get’s Ava’s carseat so it just’s trickle down. But I love shopping for baby stuff, so I don’t mind, I can spend a lot of time and a lot of money in Babies R Us.

I hope you all are having a great weekend! Hopefully I’ll be back tomorrow with something cute!

Mucking around

It’s a rainy Saturday and after having my stamps for over a week they are finally seeing ink! I’m a little tired today after having my 2nd dentist appointment yesterday. I cant open my mouth very wide so eating has been difficult. I also cant eat anything spicy or too hot, which is what I love to eat! Darn dentist!

Here’s my take on Beate’s weekend sketch:

I love this set! And I love that paper! I bought a few crafty secrets stamp sets and I decided to get a pad of their pastel DP. It has a lot of foo-foo patterns in it, but this peeling paint felt very farm-like to me!

I’ve got another card coming up for another sketch challenge, so look out!

How sweet it is….

To play with new toys! I got my new Gina K order yesterday and had to play with it and Beate’s weekend sketch! I was going to add some faux stitching with my piercer and pen, but decided to pull out ‘all in a row’ at the last minute. Grrrrrrrrrrrr! I am not as skilled at it as Beate is……surprise! I think I will take my Mom up on her offer to give me her sewing machine and sew on my cards for real.

Gina’s new set is super cute, and sweet. I would have purchased it just for this ice cream sundae.

And in other SWEET news, as many of you know……..

I AM THE GUEST DESIGNER FOR MY FAVORITE THINGS FOR FEBRUARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!

My animal house paid off and I held my own against 2 dirty dozen members…..wowzers. I am soooooooooooo excited to be with MFT, even if it’s just for a month! I looove their stamps and cant wait to have time to play with new one’s in secret!

I’m off to play some video games. Sean brought home Mario Galaxy for the Wii and then we have Rock Band for the 360. Too many fun toys!

Have a fun Sunday!

One sketch, one set, 3 looks!

First I have to say Hooooooooooooooooooooooooray!!!! Beate is back with her weekend sketch! I have greatly missed her sketches because they have always had the magical combination to inspire me. And inspire they did……

To celebrate Beate’s return to weekend sketching, I decided to make 3 cards. All using the same set, same layout with slight differences. I hope you enjoy taking a peek at what subtle differences and changing the main color can do to a stamp set.

First we have a card done in a chocolate background and the paper piercing is along the bottom:

The next is done with a pink background and the paper piercing is framing the main layer:

And finally, with a soft sky background and the paper piercing done on the middle layer:

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

The DEETS:

Stamps: Baroque motifs-SU
Ink: chocolate chip, old olive (all) pretty in pink, soft sky-SU
CS: chocolate chip, river rock, old olive, soft sky, pretty in pink-SU
Accessories: sponge, distress tool, paper piercer, chocolate ribbon, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch

Time well spent

Here’s my first card using the new ‘Time well spent’ set. This is a brand new level 3 hostess set from the Spring/Summer Stampin Up catalog. You’ll probably be seeing a lot of this set around the web since it was sent to all current demonstrators. This set is definately not my style. I like flowers, and floral sets but this doodle style is not something I pick. But it’s free, so what are you gonna do? Im gonna make the most of it and make it as pretty as I can! That and let Ava play with it a lot! She really likes the butterfly image that comes in this set, so I think it might be a birthday present for her.

I decided to use it for Beate’s weekend sketch, and I like the results. Weird how you can like the end result of a card but not the stamp set used.

I think it’s really good practice to try to use a set that isnt your style, or make a card that isnt your normal style. I definately wouldnt suggest buying a set that you dont like. But maybe borrowing one from a friend that you dont have to stretch out of your box a little.

And that’s how I look at sketch challenges and SCS challenges. I dont always like the colors, in fact a lot of times I really hate the colors that are chosen for the color challenges. But working with something you dont pick yourself get’s you to shake things up a bit. And maybe you’ll find something new that you didnt realize you like.

Nothing new there, good advice for most things in life. But to be honest, it is only in crafting that I generally follow that rule. I really like my little “box” and Im darn happy in it! LOL!!!

The DEETS:

Stamps: Time well spent-SU
Ink: stazon black, cameo coral, blush blossom, apricot appeal, old olive-SU
CS: old olive, blush blossom, cameo coral-SU    white-Papertrey
Accessories: swarovski crystals, aquapainter, dimensionals, “fairytale” ribbon, nesties, white signo gel pen