Welcome Spring?

It was 100 degrees today and we spent the afternoon in the pool. (Which is why I have a sunburn tonight.) And so I have to laugh at this card...I made it a few weeks ago. Spring only lasts 2 weeks around here. I missed the window of opportunity to post it and send it to someone!

The stamp is from Papertrey Ink and everything else is SU!

I have spent the past 3 days working on making teacher gifts. I intended to bring them in this week for teacher appreciation week. But I ran out of the red sticky tape! I guess I will just have to appreciate the teachers next week! But seriously, next year when I want to make elaborate teacher gifts for 4 sets of teachers- someone pinch me. 3D paper crafts take me forever. Oh well. They are super cute and I will post as soon as I find some sticky tape.

I probably won't have time to post this weekend. Tomorrow is dance class, Mother's Day lunch with my in laws and date night. And I am getting my hair done and going out with my kiddos on Sunday. So happy Mother's Day!

Sending a Smile Across the Miles

As you may have noticed, I haven't stamped in ages! Between my health, school, student teaching and family- stamping was put on the back burner. So sad! But I am so excited to be back! I am done with school and an official certified teacher. I have been stamping all week and enjoying myself so much! Here is a card that I made (with the help of my 4 year old). It is a hybrid Stampin' Up! and Papertrey card. The stamp set and a couple of the buttons are Papertrey. The paper, ink and the yellow button are Stampin' Up!

I want to thank you. I had so many of you send emails to let me know that they missed me and were praying for my health. It is hard to believe how much people you have never met care about you! I have always loved that about stamping. It is like we have our own club and the secret hand shake is the thud of a stamp on an ink pad.

The only thing changing about my blog is that I have decided to give up my Stampin' Up! demonstrator status. I LOVE the products and the company. But I have come to realize that I like to stamp so much more than selling. Workshops and classes made it impossible to just stamp for fun. I loved my business, but I am ready to move on. The good news for you is that I will have more time to stamp for my blog. :)

Enough talking.......go stamp!

Strawberries!!!!

Growing up, I was in LOVE with strawberries! Anytime there were strawberries on a buffet or in a fruit salad, I was right there picking them all out. My grandma would take me strawberry picking and I would eat 2 for every 1 that I put in the basket. Yum! Straeberries were on sale at our grovery store this weekend and when my husband saw them, he knew to grab some! He knows me!

So here is a fun strawberry birthday card made with a Papertrey Ink stamp set. I think it is called My Punny Valentine.

I love the sentiment! "Birthdays are the Berry Best." I also made the same card with the sentiment "I love you berry much." Someone sweet will be the recipient of these cards!!!

Soaring by to say hi!!!

A new project- two days in a row- are you proud of me?! I sometimes miss the days when I blogged a new project every single day. I had so much more time to stamp. But most of the time, I am 100% happy with my decision to focus more on the kids and quit my business. These kids will only be this little once!

Enough of me being sappy! Here is ANOTHER card I made using the Papertrey stamp set Everyday Button Bits......

I swear I will be showing you some projects using a couple new stamp sets I got from SU!!! Next week!!! But when I got this set- I was so inspired that I whipped up like 5 cards in just a couple hours.

For this one I sponged some clouds with Bashful Blue ink. I also used that fancy Eyelet border punch from SU. The rest is from Papertrey Ink. Can you tell that I am starting to get a bit addicted to this cute little stamp company?!!!

Have a fantastic weekend! I will be back tomorrow with a fun digi scrapbook page!

All things grow with love.....and buttons!

Ok it took much longer than I thought it would to get my desktop up and running! But the good news is that everything is set up now and I have some things to show you the next few days!

First, I have another card using the Papertrey Ink stamp set called Everyday Button Bits. Have I mentioned that I LOVE this set?!!! If you don't have it- you NEED it!!! And you may as well get some of those cute Papertrey buttons while you at it!

All of the cardstock, ribbon, buttons, and stamps are from Papertrey Ink. I didn't have the green ink to match so I used Wild Wasabi and it matched perfectly!

Have a great night!!!

I Chair-Ish Your Friendship!!!

I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for. You know- the kind that always make you laugh, are there for all the hard times, and totally get who I am!!! I made this sweet friendship card and now I can't decide which friend to send it to!!! I think I am going to have to make a bunch more!!!

This stamp comes from another Papertrey set that I recently ordered. I think (but I am not certain) it is called On the Couch. It's very cute and I especially like all the sentiments. And I am patting myself on the back for making so many cards recently without patterned paper!!! That is unheard of for me!!!!

I have several cards ready to show you. Which is a good thing, because I packed up all my stamping supplies!!!! We are emptying out my craft room and giving it a new paint job (no more pink with green polka dots!). Then it is going to be the new toy room for the kids!!! Right now the toy room is my front room. It is decorated like a little pre school. But it drives me nuts!!! Anytime someone comes over to the house, I have to make the kids clean up all the toys. It's such a pain. So now they will have a separate room for toys that has a door!!!! And I am going to be desk shopping and re-painting the front room- so I can craft there. I figure that I am better at cleaning up after myself than the kids are! Wish us luck with this big project!!! It will be interesting to see how we manage to do it with 4 kids under foot!

Sending Birthday Wishes

Happy Semptember!!! I live in Arizona- so September is still a really hot month. The high today is 110. Yuck!!!

Here is another simple card made using the Papertrey stamp set called Everyday Button Bits.....

I did a little sponging to make clouds- but that is kind of hard to see in the picture. The buttons and the ribbon are also from Papertrey Ink. The color is called New Leaf and I like it!!!! Probably because it looks VERY similar to Wild Wasabi!!! In fact I used Wild Wasabi ink for the sentiment!!!! The base of the card is Bashful Blue from SU. I think the 2 colors go together well. And I used the SU! Polka Dot Background stamp to add a little something to the bottom of the card.

I seem to be on a kick of making very simple cards. I love the nice clean look of them!

Hey There, Chickadee!

Oh my gosh, I am in love with this stamp set that I just got from Papertrey Ink!!!! It's called Everyday Button Bits. And all the stamps are designed to be used with buttons!!! I think they made it for me! I LOVE LOVE buttons!!!!!

So here is one of the first cards that I made with it. It is super simple, but cute!

Do you see that button (also from Papertrey Ink)??? I stamped the legs and tail and beak first. Then I glued the button down. Finally I stamped the wing on white cardstock and cut it out. I attached it to the button with a some glue dots. Then I had to raid my kid's craft supplies for the googly eye!!! And I just love when a stamp set has sentiments to go along with the images! And there are so many stamps in the set- so you will be seeing a lo more of these button creations!!!!

Have a fabulous Monday!!!

Another CASE!!!!

I love to CASE cards from other talented stampers! I spend way too much time in blog land and when I find something that inspires me- I usually pick up the stamp right away and run with it. Sometimes it is an almost exact replica when I finish. And other times it looks nothing like the original.

Today I have 2 cards for you that I cased from Andrea Walford. And I think she CASED here card from one in a magazine! I cased tha layout but used different papers and stamps. And since I likes the layout so much- I picked some more paper and stamps and made a second card!

I love how masculine this card turned out. I never have any masculine cards handy. And this would be a great Father's Day card, don't ya think? So I went ahead and made 2 of this one!

Here is the same layout with different papers and stamps. Sorry the sentiment looks so yucky. Need to re-ink my Old Olive pad I guess. It is also hard to tell in this pic, but the white is dry embossed with the dots!

Recipes:

Beer Card:

Stamps: Cheers for You, Mailbox Greetings (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Delicate Dots DSP (retired), Whisper White, Bashful Blue

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, paper piercer, silver brads, So Saffon Marker, Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Backgrounds I textures plate

Cherry Card:

Stamps: Tart and Tangy, Mailbox Greetings (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Summer Picnic (Retired), Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Old Olive

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, paper piercer, Old Olivebrads, Old Olive and Real Red Markers, Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Backgrounds I textures plate

Gratitude Journals

I am such a bad blogger!!!!! So sorry!!!!! I won't bore you with excuses!!!

Do you remember this fun little jornal that I designed to be a make-and-take for my MOPS group? Last Friday, they all got to make them! It was so fun to watch all these women get creative and crafty!!! And the final products were VERY cute! I had my camera with me- but didnt have a chance to take any pictures until almost everyone was gone : (   But I did get pics of two journals that my dear friend, Vicki, made. Great job, Vicki!!!!

This one was made with some very old Stampin' Up paper. I think it was called Sarah. The flower is by Making Memories.

This one is made with some Marcella K paper and the flower is from the Stampin' Up! Pretties kit.

The Amazing Grace sentiment is from a stamp set by Papertrey called Women of Life.

 

I am going to schedule a post for tomorrow right now!!!!! So be sure to come back!!!!

Top Note Journal

Have I ever mentioned that I LOVE my Big Shot?!!!! And my very favorite die is the Top Note die. (a close second would be the new butterfly die!) I am going to be leading a craft at my MOPS group in a few weeks and this is what I came up with...

It is a Gratitude Journal made with the Top Note Die and some chipboard!

The inside is filled with copy paper that I cut with the die as well....

Everyone in my MOPS group will be able to decorate their's any way they want. I used the Butterfly die, a large flower from the Pretties kit and some buttons. I think it looks happy! Now I can fill it will all the things that I am grateful for. It will make for a nice read on those challenging days!!!

Speaking of challenging days- I am so tired!!!! Being a full time stay at home mom is exhausting! I think I might be trying to do too much with the kids. But I find that when they are busy- they fight less. And that makes for a happier mommy!!! I am going to go stamp now for therapy and then go to bed early!!! Happy Stamping!

Recipe:

Stamps: Out on a Limb (Papertrey Ink), Polka Dot Background Stamp

Paper: Tea Party DSP, white copy paper

Ink: Certainly Celery

Other: Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Pretties Kit, Top Note Die, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Latte Buttons, Chipboard, Jump Ring

Flowers or Lollypops????

I am back!!!! It felt good to sit down last night and whip a card out! And I plan on spending plenty of time in my craft room tody so that I will have lots more to show for the rest of the week!

Since it had been a while since I had last stamped- I decided to check some of my favorite blogs and find somethign to CASE. It is the easiest way for me to get back in my groove. I fell in love with a card by Debbie Olsen. So here is my take on it...

I am just crazy about those buttons from the button bouquet pack!!! Do any of you ever watch that show Still Standing? I think it is on the Lifetime channel. On one of the shows, the mom decided to paint some lawn chairs to sell in a craft show. So she paint flowers on them and shows her kids and husband. They all say "wow, love the lollypops."  (By the way, there is a point to this random story.) This morning, I showed my son this card. I was really loving it was and was fishig for a commpliment. He said "I like the lollypops." Hmmmm. Lollypops. Flowers. Whatever you want to call them- I think they are cute.

And would you like to see something else that I made this week? It is not a stamped creation, but it is still crafty!

I have a baby shower to go to this weekend and this is going to be the center piece. It is my first diaper cake and I am quite proud!

Hope you have a creative day!!!

 

Recipe:

Stamps: Women of Life (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette

Ink: Old Olive

Other: Button Bouquet, Ridinghood Red Striped Ribbon, circle punch, linin thread

I love you, Valentine!

I only have a minute (maybe less!) but I wanted to post the Valentine that I made for my sweet hubby. Then I have to go give it to him!!!

The stamp set is by Papertrey Ink and I colored it with my Copic markers. I also popped up the mailboxes and that looks really cool IRL.

I will update this post tomorrow with the recipe!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Quick and Simple Valentine

I don't usually post on the weekends, but I thought I would show you this simple Valentine's Day card...

The stamp is actually a Papertrey stamp. In fact it is the bottom of the strawberry on the card I showed you a couple of days ago!

Recipe:

Stamps: My Puny Valentine

Paper: Sweet Always DSP, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Regal Rose

Other: Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon

Love You Berry Much

WARNING!!! I used non-Stampin' Up! stamps on this card. Crazy, huh?!!! I bought this stamper set from Papertrey last summer because I just loved the sentiments. Well, Since it is a Valentine's Day set- I decided I needed to pull it out for a couple quick cards for a customer. What do you think?

I also pulled out my nestabilities which I have not used in ages!!! They work perfectly in the Big Shot Die Cut Machine!!!

 

Happpy Stamping!!!

 

Recipe:

Stamps: My Punny Valentine (PTI)

Paper: Bella Rose DSP, Ridinghood Red, Whisper White

Ink: Ridinghood Red

Other: Nestabilities, Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Pink Pirouette Striped Ribbon