Created For You

Baby Shower Prediction Pages

2009-02-22T16:39:00.000-08:00

I have been doing alot of these lately for the women in our neighborhood. I think that there is something in our water for sure so that is why I only drink bottled water! Seriously though, I love doing these keepsakes for people and they really enjoy them. We also have fun making the predictions on gender, weight, and day. Its a great way to remember the day as well. Since we did not know if she was having a boy or girl, I made the clors brown and green.
Here I used the following:

12x12 Close to Cocoa and Certainly Celery CS
Certainly Celery wide Grosgrain ribbon
Embelishments from Simply Scrappin Kit - I'm Here -Boy

Shout Out to SheetLoad of Cards

2009-01-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a shout out to SheetLoad of Cards. This is an electronic magazine that can be downloaded for free. This will give you tips on layouts and how to cut paper to get the most out of it. Check out the January 09 issue today!

Baby Shower Favor

2009-01-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

I was invited to an impromptu baby shower with a few friends and decided to make some favors. I only had one day to make these so I created something simple yet crafty. I picked up these little bags at Joann's Fabrics in the wedding isle. I added the Its a Boy stickers to a star that was punched using my large SU Star punch with silver CS. I adhered that to the bag with a pop-up dot. Inside the bag I put blue and silver hershey kisses that said "its a boy" and "thank you" on the tags that I picked up from Walmart. Also inside the bag were these nifty little post-it rings which Kathy taught me how to make. Everyone enjoyed the treat and the handmade notes for the purse.

Home Sick

2009-01-21T09:35:00.001-08:00

Today I am home with my youngest who is sick. She was sent home from school and has a fever. She is one of those children who spikes a fever with the common cold so she tends to take tylenol or advil when she has cold symptoms. She developed these high fevers at the age of 1 1/2. She eventually had a febrial seizure when she was about 2 1/2. It was very scary so now each time when she even has the slightest fever she needs the over the counter medicine. She is not the easiest patient because she does not like to stay in bed. Wish me luck and have a great day.

Polka Dot Birthday Girl

2009-01-20T17:49:00.000-08:00

My girlfriend's daughter has the cutest little blond girl who truely looks like a little princess. When I started working with the Sophia stamp set line from Paper Pretties, my girlfriend thought they were gorgeous so I promised to make her daughter one for her birthday. Since she just turned 3, I thought this Sofia stamp with the teddy bear was perfect. As with my early designs with this stamp set, I used my Mega and Giga Scallop Oval punches to highlight Sofia. Polka Dots was the theme of this card so I used my Swiss dots embossing folder with my Cuttlebug on Pale Plum CS. I colored Sophia with my SU markers and then used my white gel pen to make the polka dots on her dress and the scallop oval. I added the sheer polka dot ribbon as a final touch. This was such a sweet birthday card.

Happy Thoughts

2009-01-20T15:46:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I need a quick thank you or thinking of you card. The Circle of Friends Stamp Set from SU lets you make a quick and cute cards. Here I used this stamp set along with these cute polka dot cards from amuse art stamps. I love my scallop circle punch and use it whenever I can. The white gel pen adds the polka dot touch to the scallop circle punch. I also love my Boho Blossoms punch which makes great flowers for the center of the circle stamped with the words happy thoughts. The final touch is the rinestone brad used to fasten all the layers and then attach to the card with the glue dots. Easy and simple with these pre-made notecards.

Money Holder

2009-01-15T03:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick and easy money holder to make. My girlfriend and I made these for the teachers for end of the year gifts. Who does not like cold hard cash? No one! All you do is take 8 1/2 x 11 paper and fold in thirds (here we used pink passion). You add an inner layer cut about 7 1/2 x 10 1/2. The layer for the money is about 1/4" larger than the bill. I used the simplicity corner slot punch in order to tuck in the money. You can decorate the ouside however you want. We chose the Riveting stamp set in Pink Passion ink with a little rhinestone in the middle (1 1/4 punch used) and mounted on the scallop circle punch. The Wild Wasabi stitched ribbon added the perfect touch for the stem. Cute and simple.

Valentine Blog Candy

2009-01-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

Visit Donkey Smiles for your chance to win some Valentine Blog Candy. Visit to website to see what you could win today.

Boy Birthday

2009-01-10T15:45:00.000-08:00

Since I have girls I very rarely make boy birthday cards but I am finding the need for them more often. I made this one fairly quickly with the inspiration from the SU catalog. I used Wild Wasabi, Punkin Pie, and Brilliant Blue CS and Wild Wasabi Ribbon as well as Jersey Shore retired SU DS paper. I used my large star punch to make the big stars and added the stitching with the white gel pen. I added some star brads for the middle and used pop up dots to adhere. I stamped the happy birthday using my acrylic stamp set Hey There Cupcake from Electic Paperie.

More Teacher Name Frames

2009-01-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

The teacher name frames are always a great gift. Any thing handmade is truely appreciated. To make these, I bought the $1 frames from AC Moore. I bought the oval for a different look than the retangle ones. I traced the frame on the backside of embossed paper from Michaels), then cut them out by hand. I attached the embossed paper to the front of the frame using Mod Podge. I bought the assorted wooden images at AC Moore and attached them to the outside frame using glue dots. I added a bow to each one.

I also traced the inside Oval as well on white CS and cut out by hand. I stamped the inside ones using my SU Short Order alphabet set. I stamped the stars in yellow or silver with the SU Background Basics set.

Once all the pieces were done, I put the frames together. These are simple and inexpensive gifts that come from the heart.

2009 Calendars

2009-01-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a few calendars I made for 2009. My friend Erica made some great calendars for a craft show and told me about SkyBlueInk who is a seller of brads, fasteners as well as these self stick calendars. I bought a pack of 10 (very inexpensive) with other treats of course. I had some acrylic picture frames that I bought at the Christmas Tree Shop a while back. With the help of some DS paper (Berry Bliss & Petals and Pasley) I had hanging around and of course Mod Podge, I was able to create these little calendars which stand on thier own. I also used my punched and some stamp sets to add the embellishments. The top left image is the one that I made for the teachers at school. These were made out of a magnetic picture frame with the paperclip on top to place a picture. The other two were stand alone calendars which I made with my daughter and her friend today. They are quick and easy gifts to make.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to wish you a happy new year! I am going to post some projects which I worked on this holiday season which can be used as gifts for anytime of the year. Stay tuned!

Blog Candy from Short Cuts

2008-12-27T19:12:00.000-08:00

There is a Frost-y Giveaway which you can participate in. Just visit this blog http://sheetloadshortcuts.blogspot.com/2008/12/frost-y-giveaway.html for your chance to win some free stuff.

Don't delay - visit them today!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has been having a great holiday season. I will be getting back on board with the posting soon. I have been busy as well as others with making gifts and getting ready for the season. Many good wishes to all for a great New Year.

MIA again

2008-12-13T03:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
I have been MIA for almost 2 months but I have been stamping and creating a lot of gifts this year. I have done three craft shows this season which has kept me busy. I have a Christmas card order I am working on right now which is taking up most of my time. I will post all my creations soon. Needless to say, the inside decorating of the house has taken a back seat but the outside looks very festive thanks to my hubby! Thats his job. Hopefully we will be getting done the rest of the decorating soon.

Have a Happy Holiday!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween! Now that it is over and the kids have eaten their share of candy, we can all say that it was lots of fun. Every year we gather the kids together for a picture and then a parade. Then we all have a hot dog social for the kids before we go trick -or- treating. It is so much fun for them to be with their friends. Hope everyone had a good night.

Polka Dot Birthday

2008-10-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here is another easy birthday card I made. I used the Cuttlebug Swiss dots folder to create the background. Next, I put some pink polka dot ribbon around the piece. I punched out a flower with my SU punch and added dots with my white gel pen. I used marker to color in the birthday stamp from SU set So Many Scallops and punched out the circle using my 1 3/8 SU circle punch. I layer all the pieces onto lovely lilac cs. Easy peasy!

Flowered Filled Birthday

2008-10-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

So I have been wanting to use my Prisma flowers that I picked up from Michael's. I decided to make a simple birthday card. I used a light purple cs to match the flowers. I stamped "Happy Birthday" in Lovely Lilac ink with Warmest Regards SU stamp set. I embossed the white cs with my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder. Before adhering the ribbon (from my random stash), I attached the ribbon to the white cs and then to the card. I placed the flowers, with a rhinestone brad, in the middle using glue dots. It was a quick and cute card.

Designer Clipboards

2008-10-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here was a fun summertime project we did one day. My daughter had a friend over for the day and we decided to make some fun designer clipboards. It was a fast and easy project. I took some of my Provo Craft 12x12 Summertime paper and cut to fit the clipboard. We used the Mod Podge glue to adhere the paper. I used coordinating colored cardstock to separate the different pattern paper. We used the designs from the paper to make the embellishments for the clipboard. The clipboards were purchased at Walmart.

Teacher's Gift

2008-10-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

I love making name frames for my daughter's teachers. Here is one that I made for a teacher using the SU stamp set Typeset Alphabet stamped with bold bright craft ink. The Framed stamp set was also used to highlight the M. I used some embossed papers I bought from Michael's craft store. I used my Cuttlebug Dies (Apple & Books, School House, and Globe) to embellish the outline. I used the Dies with several different colored paper to get the desired effect. The frame was a $3 one I bought at Walmart. It is a perfect gift for end of the year or a gift for Christmas time.

Thanks so much

2008-10-16T17:59:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick and easy thank you card I made using some fun supplies. DS paper is so much fun to make quick and easy cards. I just loved this DS retired paper Flowers for You which I used with the coordinating colors of Lovely Lilac and Certainly Celery. The stamp set I used was SU retired Riveting which is easy to use. The polka dot ribbon I picked up at AC Moore which coordinates well with the color scheme I used. The Scallop circle punch is my favorite and adding dots to it with a white gel pen adds just the right touch. I bought the adhesive rhinestone brad at Walmart which adds a little bling.

Monogrammed note cards

2008-10-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here is another set of monogrammed note cards that I made for teachers gifts. I could not resist the $1 Spot at Target. They have great deals. I just added a flower using one of my Marvy punches with the initial stamped using my Fiskars alphabet I bought at Joann's Craft Store. It was easy and simple plus they each received 8 cards to use. The teachers always love note cards and they were a cinch to make.

Money Gift Holders

2008-10-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is one of the items in which I and the other room parent made at the end of the school year back in June. Here are some money holders which we made for the teacher aids in our children's classroom with the extra money we received from the parents. They are quick and easy using a full sheet of paper scored in thirds. the image was stamped using SU retired Riveting stamp set which I love. The image was punched out using the 1 1/4 circle punch and a silver adhesive rhinestone (found at walmart) was used in the center of the image. The flower was punched out on So Saffron paper using the scallop punch and the stitched wild wasabi ribbon added a nice touch for the stem as well as a tie to hold the paper closed.

On the inside, we layered a light pink paper on the inside with the top being a tyed thank you from the class with their names on it (not shown due to privacy issues). Certainly Celery paper was used to make the mountings for the money holders by using the slot punch at all four corners to slip the money into. Vola'! This was very cute and simple.

I'm back!

2008-10-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! Its been a long time since I have posted anything on my blog and I apologize for that. I do not know where the time has gone. I have been busy but I have also been creating but not posting. I am going to start posting again with new creations and ideas just for you. Keep checking and I will be at it again. Thanks for sticking with me.

Lois

First Communion Thank You

2008-05-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here is the last of the First Communion Card set. I started with the invitation and then some cards to send with gifts for close friends. I finally ended with thank you cards that my daughter sent with a picture of herself. If you look at the earlier postings for these sets of cards, they were made with the same elements. The embossing of the gold ink added a nice and elegant touch. I want to thank my friend Joanne B. for lending me the God is Love SU stamp set. I thought this image was perfect.

Birthday Girl

2008-05-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

My daughter was invited to a birthday party. It was a glamour party and the girls looked so stunning with hair, makeup and evening gowns. It was a glympse of what these 4 and 5 year olds would look in years to come. Here is the very special birthday card I made using my retired SU set Pretty Princess. I just love this set. I used my Cuttle Bug D' Vine Swirls embossing folder on Pink Passion CS. I stamped the image in black ink and then colored in using SU markers. Other CS used was Lavender Lace and Yo-Yo yellow along with my corner punch and slot punch. I wrapped the ribbon around and tied to link the separate pieces together. I added Dazzling Diamonds to create a sparkle effect for the princess.

11 Step Program to Kids

2008-05-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

My friend Joanne B. put this on her blog and I thought it was a hoot. Visit her blog and check it out.

Want some Candy?

2008-05-15T20:04:00.000-07:00

My Sister Sammi has posted some candy to celebrate for 1000 hits on her blog. Be sure to check it out here. Congrats to Sammi!

Stay At Home Moms - Tips to get your point across

2008-05-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

I found this on my Sister Lisa's blog and thought I had to share. Thanks for the tip...

A man came home from work and found his three children outside,

still in theirpyjamas,

playing in the mud,

with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn allaround the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open,

as was the front door to the house andthere was no sign of the dog.

Proceeding into the entry,

he found an evenbigger mess.

A lamp had been knocked over,

and the throw rug was waddedagainst one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel,

and the familyroom was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink,

breakfast food was spilled on thecounter,

the fridge door was open wide,

dog food was spilled on the floor,

a broken glass lay under the table,

and a small pile of sand wasspread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs,

stepping over toys and more piles of clothes,

looking for his wife.

He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as he made his way out the bathroomdoor.

As he peered inside he found wet towels,

scummy soap and more toysstrewn over the floor.

Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste hadbeen smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom,

he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pyjamas, reading a novel.

She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"

She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?"

"Yes," was his incredulous reply.

She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."Send this page to another woman.

Priceless

Card Club #2 - Sweeter Than Apple Pie

2008-05-13T05:32:00.000-07:00

I liked this card so much that I decided to CASE my own card and add another layer. I used Wild Wasabi and WW CS. I added a layer of WW under the DS Summer Picnic Paper to make the apples pop. I decided in this version that I would omit the Dazzling Diamonds (ok it is my signature to add sparkle to every card but the ink ran with the glue and made it look sloppy). You can check out the older version on 2/28/08 to see the changes.

First Communion #2

2008-05-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here is another card I made for First Communion. These cards were given with a few gifts I had for a few of my daughters friends. This card used the God Is Love SU stamp set. I have two versions shown here. Both cards were stamped in Gold and then embossed. I cut the edges of the card with either the scallop or zig-zag scissors. I then used some post-it notes to line off the edges to ink them (direct to paper technique). I embossed the edges as well. In the first card, I used my scallop circle punch with my 1 1/4 circle punch to layer the cross on top to make the image pop. I am not use to doing a clean and simple card but these were appropriate for the occassion.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to wish all my stamping friends, neighbors, friends and Sisters (SBS15) a Happy Mother's Day! Hope it was relaxing and enjoyable for all!

Happy Birthday to You

2008-05-09T04:03:00.000-07:00

I needed a birthday card and I wanted to use my cuttlebug embossing folder so I came up with this idea. I used Pink Passion, Green Galore and WW CS. I embossed the WW with my cuttlebug embossing folder Happy Birthday. I used my SU So Many Scallops stamp set with my SU markers (Pink Passion, Yo Yo Yellow and Green Galore) to color in the middle of the stamp. I added some sparkle with my Spica Glitter pen to the flames on the candles. I punched it out using my 1 3/8 circle punch. I took the Green Galore CS and punched the 1 3/8 circle and then the scallop punch around it. I used my white gel pen for the dots in the scallop. I attached the scallop over the birthday using the dimensionals. I purchased this Green Polka dot ribbon at Walmart. This was a cute card that I used for my daughter's friend.

Monochromatic Mother's Day Card

2008-05-08T04:04:00.000-07:00

This is a card that I CASED from my friend Ann V. She is my upline at SU. She had given me a similar card that was a thank you with the same color scheme and stamp set. I just modified it with ribbon, stamped the background and used my punches to highlight the image. The card used Pale Plum, Perfect Plum and WW CS. I stamped the image with Balck ink and then watercolored in slightly using blender pen with the Pale Plum ink. I used my Mega Oval and Giga Scalloped Oval punches to highlight the image. The scallop oval was dotted using my white gel pen. Next, I used the corner rounder to round the edges on the frame. I tamped the background using Pale Plum in and Itty Bitty background SU stamp set. Lastly, I stamped the saying in Perfect Plum which I received in my new stamp set from Paper Pretties "Made with Love".

Card Club #1 - Orange You Cute

2008-05-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

This card was CASED from a fellow Demonstrator Robin J. She came up with the layout and color scheme I just added some Dazzling Diamonds on the orange and the saying stamp. So for this card I used WW, Old Olive, Bashful Blue and Pumpkin Pie for CS. DS was the Summer Picnic paper. I used the Pumpkin Pie ink pad. For ribbon, I used the wide Old Olive Grosgrain. Its a cute card and easy to do. One could try making the orange a scratch -n- sniff element as well.

Show and Tell

2008-05-06T04:11:00.000-07:00

Eventhough I haven't published much lately, I have been working a lot on several different projects. Here is one of them. I was asked by my daughter's teacher if I could design some Show -n-Tell boxes for her. I was given these boxes and off I went. I knew I had a doodling design book somewhere and I found it in the depths of my closet. I took some Sharpie markers and went to work with my design team (my daughters). I had my daughters choose images and colors and then I drew them. I desgned both front and back of each box with images of children and fun images of toys and such. The teachers were impressed and loved the boxes!

More Show and Tell

2008-05-06T04:09:00.000-07:00

Here are the other boxes I made for Show and Tell. I used a book called "The 123's of Creative Doodling" by Lindsay Ostrom & Friends

First Communion Invites

2008-05-05T04:02:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my daughter made her First Communion. She was so excited about it. I made these invitaitons for her party afterwards and invited all of her friends. She had such a great time.
These invitations were one of my clean and simple design. I simply used WW CS, trimmed the edge with my scalloped scissors. Then I took my gld ink pad and did a Direct to Paper technique along the edge and then embossed the gold with the embossing powder and heat gun. I stamped using gold ink with a $1 stamp that I bought at Michaels and a stamp from the retired Brides and Babies stamp set on the inside. Again, I embossed the images. They came out simple and elegant which is what I was looking for.

Graduation Thank You notes

2008-04-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

This card was made to co-incide with the graduation invitations. I made this example as simple as possible. I used White CS that was trimmed on the bottom edge with the deckled scissors. Then I sponged some pink on the edge. I stamped the graduation cap (from Year After Year SU Stamp Set) in black and adorned it with a rhinestone brad. The ends of the brad were cut with pliers and then adhered with glue dots. I added the Thank You (from SU Warmest Regards stamp set) in Pink Passion. I thought this one turned out simple and cute.

Graduation Invitations

2008-04-17T19:15:00.001-07:00

Here are the sample invitations I made for a friend. I always make several editions to give my customers some choices within the specifics which they give me. The customer definitely wanted Hot Pink so I chose CS of Pink Passion and Pixie Pink. I wanted to off set it with Basic Black CS to make it pop. I used the Graduation

stamp from the Year after Year SU stamp set. In these examples, it was st amped with basic black ink. The graduation cap was adorned with either a rhinestone brad in the center or in the second set, a self adhesive rhinestone. I added some stickles to make the tassle a little sparkley. I tried two different colors for the fonts which were typed on the computer. I had alot of fun making several versions so the customer would have lots to choose from. She was duely impressed with all the options.

Baby Shower Favors

2008-04-16T04:08:00.000-07:00

I got permission from my friend Heather to post her baby shower favors that she made for the neighbors shower. She did an awesome job! She is a wonderful and talented person who makes amazing cards and scrapbook pages. Because we both make cards, we came up with the idea of giving a box of 10 cards to each person at the shower. We both had lots of cards that we had made and collected through swaps so we just went through them and made a stash of them.

Heather made the boxes using the following materials:

Boxes: Nashville Wraps (they are actually large jewelry boxes)
Flowers: Heidi Swapp Orange Florals - AC Moore
Stamp: Thank You stamp from Heidi Swapp - Target
Brads: American Crafts (I think it's American Crafts) Extra Large Brads
Jute: AC Moore
Paper: Bazzill Basics - Right at Home Scrapbooking

They were sucha great favor! Everyone loved them and loved the cards as well. Great job Heather!

Happy Tax Day!

2008-04-15T05:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Tax Day! For some its a great day to file and get money back and others not so fun. I hope you have them done early so you can enjoy a day of scrapping or stamping. I try to set aside a day to stamp instead of getting up early in the morning.

Have a happy day!

Monogramed Notecards

2008-04-15T04:15:00.000-07:00

So I am addicted to Target's Dollar Spot as some already know. So over the past many months, I have picked up some adorable notecard sets (8 for a $1) from Target hoping to make some monogrammed cards for teacher gifts. Here is a red polka dot set I picked up around Valentine's Day. I made these as a thank you gift for my daughter's CCD teacher. It was so simple to do. I merely stamped the letter using my Fiskars Script Font Acrylic Set I picked up from JoAnns Fabric store in Real Red ink. I then used my SU circle punches 1 1/4 to punch it out. I next used the 1 3/8 circle punch on the Bashful Blue and then the Scallop Circle punch with Barely Banana. They came out adorable without alot of work. I will be making more for teacher appreciation week that is coming up in May.

Baby Shower Pages

2008-04-15T03:51:00.000-07:00

Recently a group of us joined together to host a baby shower for a neighbor. So my friend wanted to do some games. Instead of that, she came up with the idea of doing a baby prediction page where everyone signs their name and guesses boy or girl, weight and due date. She wanted it to be a scrapbook page so she enlisted me to make them. I am not a scrapbooker however these pages were easy to do. Since I always do two pages so that they match, we came up with the second page being a group photo page where everyone signs their name around the outside of the photo. I went to my favorite scrapbook store - Right At Home - to see what I could find in the brown tones since the girl who the shower was for loves brown. I used a Hot Fudge (I think that is the name) Brown Brazill paper that had a shine to it as well as Berrylicious Brazill paper. I printed the words using my computer with the Harrington font which is very dressy. I also used Scenic Route Summer/Bonnie Ave DS for the second page. To the Baby Predicitions page, I used the Jumbo Antique Brass Eyelets with the Wide Grosgrain Chocolate Ribbon and on the second page I just used the ribbon tied in knots. The final touch was to use the ticket punch for the corners to add some decorative edge. These pages were a big hit at the shower and everyone thought it was a fun idea.

Back in Town

2008-04-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

We just got back from San Diego today. What a nice city! Although the weather was 10 degrees colder than normal it was still warmer than here. It was a Balmy 60 degrees or so. Anyway, while my husband was on business, we were enjoying the tourist things to do like visit Disneyland, Sea World and the San Diego Zoo as well as the Seaport Village. It was not warm enough to go on the beaches but it was sunny! It was a very nice and short vacation. Now back to work! I have put many things on the back burner and need to catch up. I will be posting some invitations and some scrapbook pages for a baby shower. Looking forward to creating again.

Tortoise Thank You

2008-04-04T03:37:00.000-07:00

I think these thank yous came out so cute! Again, I used the same elements as I had used in the invitaions and made both boy and girl versions. I want to thank Amy Czuba for lending me the level 3 hostess stamp from the Older & Wiser stamp set. I just thought this tortoise stamp was the perfect stamp and very excited that I found someone who had it so I could borrow it.
This time for the card, I used Green Galore CS instead of the Brazill paper. I first stamped the thank you on the card from the Warmest Regards stamp set in black. Then, I embossed using my Cuttle Bug template Tiny Mosaics. I stamped the tortoise image in Black ink then colored in using the same colors as the invitations. I highlighted the tortoise shell spots using Crystal Effects to add some depth and then added some Stickles to the hat for some sparkle. I also used my Mega Circle and Giga Scalloped Circle punches for the tortoise and the DS paper. After I mounted the image, I used my paper piecing tool to add some detail. I am very happy at the way that they came out. I am going to do some tortoise bookmarks too at a later date.

My First Award - Arte Y Pico award

2008-04-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is my first award - I am so excited! I've received the Arte Y Pico (Art & More) award from my SBS sister Emma...thanks so much...so I am going to pass it on to some others who have some great blogs!

The rules of this award are....

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity,design,interesting material,and also contributes to the blogging community,no matter what language.

2. Each award has to give the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4. Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte y Pico blog,so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5. To show these rules.So I'm passing it onto...

Kathy

Lainy

Christie

I could not come up with 5 but I hope these people get this. Visit their blogs for awesome ideas.

I have been tagged!

2008-04-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by my friend Joanne B. looking for seven rando facts. Here they are:

1) In High School, I was in Dance Club.

2) In College, I majored in Bioengineering. Boy, I can't be further from that now.

3) My first date movie was in high school to see "Aleins" after eating Chinese food.

4) I love the color pink.

5) The furthest I ever traveled was to the Phillippines when I was in high school. It was definitely a culture shock as to what they considered upper class in comparison to the US. It was a great learning experience and trip.

6)I am an advid volunteer for both of my daughter's classes and schools.

7)I am a Brownie Girl Scout Leader for my daughter's troop.

I am going to tag some of my SBS 15 Sisters: Monica, Yesy, Emma and Nany. Be sure to check their sites for some great stuff.

Tortoise Invitations

2008-04-01T03:41:00.000-07:00

As you know, my youngest daughter loves Tortoise's so I made these invitations to her birthday party. Since she was inviting both boys and girls, I thought I would make different invitations for each. With these invitations, I went to Right at Home Scrapbooking store to get the paper - Limeade Brazill paper for the backing and Doodlebug Birthday Girl and Birthday Boy stripped paper. I did the printing on my computer. The Tortoise's were made using my Cuttlebug Cuttle Kids die cut. I hand cut the hats. The pom pom on the top of the party hats were made with 1/2 inch strips of paper, cut slits on one side of the paper and then using glue at the edge, twirl around a toothpick or paper piercing tool, bend back the small strips and stick on with a glue dot. These came out super cute. Stay tuned to see the thank yous.

Being out of touch

2008-03-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

I know we all have busy lives but this week was brutal for me. Usually I am able to stamp a few nights or mornings a week but this week was an impossiblity. I, like everyone, had over scheduled myself. I had to get my stuff together for the tax person which was to be done on Thursday night plus get ready for my daughter's birthday party on Saturday which meant running around to buy for the party favors etc. If that were not enough, I had a bookclub meeting at my house on Friday night and a first communion event with my other daughter on Saturday morning. Then Saturday night I had to get my daughter and husband ready to go to a father-daughter dance while I stayed home and babysat. So under normal circumstances I would be a nervous wreck but I think because I started to workout 3 to 4 times a week which helps me just prod along and go with the flow. Anyways, I am sorry if I have not been around to see everyone's blogs or my new sisters. I promise to catch up this week.

My Daughters Easter cards

2008-03-22T03:39:00.000-07:00

My daughter loves to stamp with me and make cards for her friends. So I stamp images for her to color in and then we design the final layout together. Here she has used two stampendous stamps from Eclectic Paperie. She colored them in using her colored pencils and then we added the other elements. If you see my previous post, you can see the same elements are used for the Blossom Egg card but in this card we just added the ribbon. The second card uses the Bunny Egg stamp. My daughter just loves the bunny. We cute the green layer using my scalloped edged scissors and added the white dots using the gel pen. The ribbon was the final touch. She sent these to her friends. They came out cute.

Colorful Egg

2008-03-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

This was a quick card I made using my new stampendous stamps I putchased from Eclectic Paperie. This stamp is called Blossom Egg and was perfect for using the Kaleidacolor Berry Blaze ink pad. I just used some CS that I had laying around that I bought at Michaels multipack. I used my mega and giga marvy oval punches and added the white dotes using my white gel pen. I also stamped the egg on the purple paper with Versamark and used my spica glitter pen on the dots to add some bling. This was a cute and simple card.

Sisterhood of Blogging Stampers - 15

2008-03-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

I am just getting use to blogging and improving on my stamping techniques. My friend Kathy joined a group and encouraged me to join to share my ideas and keep me motivated by other across the country and the world.

I have been stamping for several years now - I think I started scrapbooking and taking classes at a local store in NH in 2000. I started stamping using SU products in 2001 making cards for co-workers for a variety of different occasions. It was fun to share my cards with others. I became a demo in 2004. I enjoyed stamping classes and technique workshops with others. I have moved quite a bit and landed here in MA. While starting my stamping endeavors, I worked full time. I formerly was a scientist in a large pharmaceutical company creating activity testing protocols for drugs produced in manufacturing. I then moved and worked for a smaller company and then later for a small university lab. I eventually left the scientific world to become a stay at home mom during our last transition period of moving. I have two daughters - one in pre-K and the other in 2nd grade. I love my job now with volunteering and participating in all my children's schools and various activities. It is fun to meet their friends and interact with them. I am also a Brownie troop leader for my daughter's troop which I enjoy doing activities and going on trips. My husband is my biggest fan and I show him all the cards I make which he thinks are great but when I go to a meeting he says I am going to drink the special punch to make me want to buy more. For my current stamping endeavors, I participate in several company contests to win free products and hopefully one day be on a design team and get published in a magazine. I also run a card club which I sell cards every month to a set group of people. I am throughly addicted!

That's What Friends are For

2008-03-20T03:33:00.000-07:00

I recently had a birthday and received a few gifts from friends. I have always felt that friendship is the most important gift and gifts are not necessary especially at my age. Anyways, I cased this sketch from the SU catalog and made my own version. I always make more than one layout because I am never sure which one I would like to mass produce. I love this card with the spring colors. I keep using spring colors enticing spring to come soon. I used the Time Well Spent stamp set from SU. The colors for CS and markers were Tempting Turquiose, Certainly Celery and Apricot Appeal. I stamped the images in basic black ink and then colored in. I used Versamark ink for the flowers on the background. I added rhinestones to the flowers and used the slit punch to make the scallop edge. The paper piercing tool was used with the mat pack to create the butterfly flying path. I stamped my butterfly image on WW CS, colored with markers and then cut it out. I used the scallop circle punch, stmaped the butterfly on it and then added my colored butterfly on top. To finish the card, I added Dazzling Diamonds to the butterfly and then the celery ribbon. This made a complete and coordinated card!

stay tuned for Easter stuff to come.

Pocket Easter Egg

2008-03-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

This card was truely inspired by a card I did last year at this time. I love this SU stamp set, A Good Egg. It is so easy to use and design cards with. I used Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa and WW CS. I stamped the images with C lose to Cocoa ink then trimmed them out with my paper snips. I colored the images of the egg and the chick using my watercolor pencils and my blender pen. I used the dazzling diamonds with my 2-way glue pen. I cut the egg on the zig zag line. I attached the top of the egg and the bottom of the egg in a split fashion. The bottom egg was only attached around the edges so that the chick could fit inside. I attached some rhinestones I found at Walmart which had the adhesive to them. The top of the egg was adorned with a flower punched in Old Olive CS using the Boho Blossom punch and then cut in half. The ribbons are some that I had around. The background circles on the card were stamped with Versamark and then colored in the small circles using a white gel pen. The words were stamped in Basic Black. This card was definitely a labor of love.

New Addition to our Family

2008-03-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

So this might not be what you expected when you saw the title. We tried for the past year to get our youngest potty trained - trying and promising everything to her. We thought that the day would never come. Since she had become fascinated with turtles, we thought a good incentive would be a turtle for consistency with her going on the potty. Well, it finally happened at the end of January and she remembered what we promised to her. So after looking into what type of turtle we would want (water or land) and which would be easiest and less germy, we chose to get a tortoise. The name Flipper was chosen way in advance and is the name of a stuffed turtle she had gotten for Christmas. My husband and daughter had a special date this past Monday to pick up the turtle. She was so excited and wanted to show all of her friends. So this morning I made a small photo album with pictures of Flipper doing various things with the captions so that she could show her friends at school. I used my new cuttlebug die and my ticket punch. The words were printed on the computer. I added cute ribbons to the binder ring. Since it has a binder ring to attach it, I can add pages when we take more pictures. Her teachers were thrilled to share this in her class. She is so proud of her pet and her accomplishment!

Sketch Challenge

2008-03-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is the last card I made for the Paper Pretties PJ release party on Sunday night. This was the sketch challenge as the final challenge of the night. This card uses the Paper Pretties stamp set Look Who's Perky. I love this stamp set. The CS used was Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip with DS So Saffron Paper. I stamped the sugar bowl on the designer paper and the VV CS with Chocolate Chip Ink, then I cut the sugar bowl out and pasted it on top of the VV DS. I colored the handles with So Saffron marker. Then I used my ticket punch for the corners. I detailed the edges with my paper piecing tool using my mat pak. The coffee beans were stamped on top with Chocolate Chip ink as well as the two word sentiments which were combined for the message. I added the antique brads which were part of the sketch. I was very proud of this card and how it turned out.

Monochromatic Challenge

2008-03-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

Here is another card made for the Paper Pretties PJ Release party from this past Sunday. The Monochromatic cards are always a challenge for me. For this card, I used the Look Who's Perky stamp set from Paper Pretties. I love this set and it lends to easy card making. For this challenge, I decided to use Certainly Celery as my Monochromatic color. I added the DS paper as a background and colored the image with an SU marker. I used some stickles to add some sparkle to the steam. My slot punch made it easy for me to stick on the ribbon for the final touch to the card.

No-layer challenge card

2008-03-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

No-layer Challenge card was made for the PJ release party this past Sunday. This card was a little hard for me considering I am getting use to using designer paper lately. I love this stamp set from Paper Pretties called Looks Who's Perky. I did use WW card stock with Chocolate Chip and Regal Rose ink. Craft white ink was used to stamp the swirls which were embossed in white. The coffee pot was colored with Regal Rose Su marker and dotted with a white gel pen. The Chocolate Chip ink was sponged around the coffee pot and the Regal Roase ink was spondeged around the outside. My favorite ribbon was used at the top with two slits punched to put it through. There was a lot of detail since there was no designer paper used. Back to basics with a flair!

Many Thanks #2

2008-03-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

Here is another quick thank you note using the same elements in the first card just rearranged differently. Here I used River Rock, Chocolate Chip, WW and Ruby Red CS with the Ginger Blossom DS. I also used Chocolate Chip ink to stamp the words. I used my ticket punch for the corners and then added antique brads around it. This was a clean and simple card which was quick to make.

Many Thanks #1

2008-03-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

I so needed to make thank you cards and this SU sell-a-bration stamp set, Lots of Thoughts and So Many Scallops, lends itself to making quick and cute cards. I used River Rock, Groovy Guava, Ruby Red and WW CS in addition to Ginger Blossom DS. I stamped with River Rock and Groovy Guava. I layered a circle in Ruby Red punched out using my circle punches of 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 ontop of my scallop to highlight the words. I used the River Rock stitched ribbon as well. I layered the Scallop on with dimensionals so it would pop.

It was a quick and cute card.

It's My Birthday!

2008-03-08T06:28:00.001-08:00

What better way to celebrate my birthday than to get up in the morning and stamp! I love being creative and sharing with others. Thank you for viewing my blog and supporting me! Oh Happy Day!

My Daughter's Card #2

2008-03-07T19:58:00.002-08:00

My daughter needed to make her Aunt a birthday card and she just loves the Sofia stamp set called Cuddle Me from Paper Pretties. She colored Sofia with her colored pencils blending the pink and purple to give a heathered mixed look - what an inspiration! After she finished coloring, I mounted the picture on Lovely Lilac CS and used my scalloped scissors to make the edge and used the white gel pen to add the accent. I used DS Flowers For You and some American Crafts Ribbon on top of Pretty in Pink Paper. It is a precious card!

Elegant Egg

2008-03-07T19:58:00.001-08:00

This card was truely inspired by the SU Catalog. I love this stamp set from SU "A Good Egg". When the new catalog came out, this was one of my must haves! I did not have all the elements that they used in the catalog but I did love the color combination. I used the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set with the white craft ink for the backround on the Bashful Blue CS. In addition, I used the Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla and So Saffron CS. I stamped the egg outline and the middle part using Chocolate Chip ink on Bashful Blue and Veryt Vanilla CS repectively. I colored on the VV CS with markers: Old Olive, So Saffron and Bashful Blue. I added antique brads and used dimensionals to place it ontop of the egg. For the stitched effect on the So Saffron CS, I used my Paper Piecing tool with my Mat Pak to make the holes and the white gel pen to add the line. For the top of the egg, I punch a flower on Old Olive CS with my Boho Blossoms punch and cut it in half. I attached some grosgrain ribbon that was a golden mustard.

Cracked Up!

2008-03-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

These cards were cased and inspired by my stamping friend Kathy. She has such wonderful ideas! I used various colors and designer series papers. My friend in my card club wanted me to start designing more boyish cards so she could give them to her sons each month. Here is the card "you crack me up" that I had made. With this card, I used Brocade Blue CS with So Saffron. The DS was Pool Party which is retired from SU. I used my watercolor pencils to color in the chick and my word window punch for the words. I mounted the words behind the DS to give a window look. I used my decorative scissors to cut the zig-zag edges and added the brads. This set of cards came out cute. Thanks Kathy for your inspiration!

Love Bugs

2008-03-03T16:07:00.000-08:00

This was a card that I made for a most recent Paper Pretties challenge. This image is Love Bugs made by Paper Pretties. The challenge was to use red (but not a bright red), black and Kraft CS. I used Ruby Red as the red for my card. I cut the CS in layers and took my scalloped scissors to make the scalloped edge. I used my white gel pen to dot the scallops on the black CS and black marker on the white CS. I stamped the image in Basic Black ink and then colored in with markers (Ruby Red) and watercolor pencils. I dotted the dress and suit with the white gel pen to add a dimension. The ribbon was black dotted and white organdy. I added a flower that matched from my stash of embellishments. I added stickles and some stardust gel pen for some shimmer.

Penquin Kisses

2008-03-01T19:13:00.000-08:00

This card was made using the Snowflake Kisses stamp set from Paper Pretties. I love how the blue paper pops out from the black. For this card, I used CS of Basic Black, Ballet Blue and Whisper White. The Ballet Blue was dry embossed using the Cuttle Bug template of Snoflakes for the top. On the bottom, the penquin feet were versamarked and then embossed using Iridescent Ice. I stamped the image using a Brilliance Graphite Black ink and sponged around the image with Ballet Blue ink. I used watercolor pencils to color in the image and blended with a blender pen. The two-way glue pen was applied to the outline of the snow and then dazzling diamonds was applied to it to give it some shimmer. I stamped the words with Ballet Blue ink and added silver brads for the mounting. The ribbons used were Organdy White and Black polka dots.

Flowers for Sofia

2008-03-01T19:03:00.001-08:00

This card was made for a Paper Pretties Swap from their stamp set Cuddle Me. I wanted to use more sprintime colors this time and came up with this card. I stamped the image with Brilliance Graphite Ink and colored in using SU markers: Certainly Celery, Blush Blossom, More Mustard, Creamy Carmel, Basic Black and Chocolate Chip. Her dress was made into polka dots using a white gel pen. She was also highlighted using the Mega and Giga Oval and Scallop Punches. The CS used was Whisper White, Pale Plum and DS from Scenic Route called Dahlia Street. The ribbon was liliac ric rak which I bought as well as the DS at Right at Home scrapbooking store. I thought this could be a cute Easter card.

Flower Post It Notes

2008-02-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

So when I went to PA recently, I knew I was going to see several of my SU Demos that I was in a group there. I wanted to give everyone a favor to thank them for coming out to see me but it had to be something I could make in an hour. I knew I had seen similar stuff like this on websites and at workshops but never actually made them. I saw that my friend Kathy had made something similar and thought I could do it. When I was in PA, we visited Michael's which you might as well empty my cash when I enter there. Anyways, I found these great post it notes ((3 9/16 square) in the $1 bin -2 for a $1 (yes the $1 bin gets me everytime). Then I found this designer paper from Provo called Posies Glitter Print. It coordinated fairly well but most of all it matched the paper that I brought with me so that I did not have to use my friend's supply. So I used the Certainly Celery CS (3 3/4 x8") and WW. The DS was cut in a 3 1/2 square. I used the Circle of Friendship set with the 1 1/4 Circle Punch. This set is great! I punched the inside flower on the designer paper with the Boho Blossom Punch. I had to buy the rhinestone brads which were placed in the center of the flower. I used some green pastel ribbon I bought at Michael's too (4 for $1 what a bargain). This was "Easy Peasy" as my friend Cheryl here would say. I made 6 in an hour.

Friendship Mugs

2008-02-28T19:44:00.000-08:00

The new Rub-Ons from SU were a must try for me. I had ordered them a while back and needed to use them. I took all my new stuff to PA with me to visit my friend Tami and my original SU Friends: Ann, Danielle and Deb. So Tami and I always have our own Mini Stamp camp however I have been so busy that I did not prepare enough items. We did make these mugs (great mugs that I got for $1 at a local grocery store). I learned how to do this at our Quarterly meeting in January and thought they would make great gifts. When you place the image on the mug, you should place it smoothly around and place scotch tape on it to hold it in place. Some might adhere to the surface even before you rub it. Then rub over the image with the popsicle stick or whatever tool you have for Rub-Ons. When finished, carefully remove the backing sheet off. The mugs came out fabulous! I gave the Blue mug with the white image to my good friend Ann. I am still looking for an adhesive to go over the image so that you can actually use the mug to drink out of. The image can come off if you rub too hard or use hot water. If anyone has any ideas how to put an adhesive or gloss over them that is non-toxic let me know.

Chocolate Dipped

2008-02-28T19:31:00.000-08:00

I just love this set: Tart & Tangy from SU! Ok I can't say it enough. I saw several cards on SCS made with this set and could not resist casing this card from Rhonda G who made a fabulous card herself. I made this card for a recent swap and people just adored it. I used Chocolate Chip, WW, Rose Red CS and DS Berry Bliss. I colored the straberry with SU Markers: Real Red, Old Olive and Close to Cocoa. To get the chocolate dipped effect, I used crystal effects over the chocolate chip marker on the straberry. I used two circle punches: 1 1/4 & 1 3/8 plus layered two scalloped punches behind the layered circles. The white gel pen added a nice touch to the scallop punch. In addition, I used Itty Bitty Backgrounds with Chocolate Chip ink for the background texture at the bottom half of the card. The Word Window punch was used and Cherish from the Warm Words stamp set was used. The word was placed on the back of the card to show through the punch. I added the Purely Pomegranate stitched ribbon as well. Overall it was a big hit at our meeting last night.

Sweeter than Apple Pie

2008-02-28T19:23:00.000-08:00

This card was made with the new Tart & Tangy stamp set from SU. I just loved this set! I used SU markers to color in the apple image: Real Red, Old Olive and Close to Cocoa. The CS used was Old Olive, Real Red and WW with DS Summer Picnic (gotta love it). I used two circle punches: 1 1/4 & 1 3/8 plus the Scallop Punch. In addition, I used the Word Window punch with the words from One Smart Cookie stamp set. The words, stamped with Real Red, were attached behind the Old Olive CS. I also stamped the small apple with versamark on the old Olive cardstock to add some texture. The White Dots on the Scallop Punch were added with a white gel pen and the Real Red Stripped grograin ribbon added the final touch.

Wade E. Bug

2008-02-20T05:51:00.000-08:00

These were a series of cards that I did to enter into the second Cutie Pie contest at Paper Pretties. Here he is ...WADE E. BUG! I bought this ribbon at Right At Home Scrapbooking and thought I hade to use it on a card. So I matched the SU paper of Rose Red with So Saffron. I used my Cuttle Bug embossing template to add texture to the background. I colored Wade in using SU markers and added either gold with my gel pen or glitter with my stickles. I did use my paper peircing tools on the second card to add a little something.

Romantic Valentine

2008-02-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

This card I had in my head for a while. I wanted it to be elegant and fun! Here I used Paper Pretties Sealed with a Kiss stamp set and colored in with my SU markers. I love the combination of Real Red and Basic Black CS which makes the red pop on the card. I used the tag corner punch around the CS. Again, I used the DS from Target. Lately I have been using alot of my black organdy polka dot ribbon with white, sometimes I gwet hooked on certain colors or ribbon for a while. the heart on top added an extra touch of romance. I loved the way this one turned out.

My Husband's Valentine

2008-02-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

I made my huband this Valentine card this year. It was the perfect set to use - Sealed with a Kiss from Paper Pretties. I am not use to making manly cards because i am pretty much a girly girl with the pastels and bright colors. However I tried my best not to make it girlish but did have to add the ribbon. I used Chocolate Chip, a brazill paper that was a rustic red (not sure the name) and a brazzil paper Ocean blue. The DS was from the Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar line called Honey Honey paper. I did paper piece the dress and suit jacket to match the DS paper and red paper respectively. I used my SU markers to color in. He just loved getting this card!

Winter Fun Sofia

2008-02-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

This card was made for the Stampin in your PJ Party for Paper Pretties color challenge. Here I used the stamp set Snowflake Kisses from Paper Pretties. I stamped with Chocolate Chip Ink on Very Vanilla CS. I paper pieced the jacket and colored in the rest of the image with Chocolate Chip and Pretty In Pink markers. I added Crystal Effects to the skirt to make it shine. I also added some Dazzling Diamonds around to make it sparkle. Chocolate Chip CS was used with DS from Doodle Bug inc that I purchase from Right at Home scrapbooking store. The polka dot ribbon was from American crafts that I purchased at AC Moore. Sofia is so much fun to work with!

Springtime Sofia

2008-02-15T19:50:00.000-08:00

This was another card made for the Stampin in your PJs Party Sketch Challenge at Paper Pretties. Here I used the stamp set Cuddle Me from Paper Pretties. I colored in Sofia using SU markers. The paper used was Whisper White and Certainly Celery CS along with Bazzil Berrylicious paper and DS Loveland by Scenic Route that I purchased at the Right at Home scrapbooking store. In addition, I found some ribbon which perfectly coordinated with my paper. I like the springtime paper colors!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

I have been busy over the last few days getting ready for the events and activities for today. I have lots to do and so little time. I have posted quite a few projects today that could be used for any occasion. I hope you enjoy reading them and enjoy your day!

Valentine Playdough Treats

2008-02-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! Here are some treats that I will be bringing to a play group today for the children I simply used the scalloped circle punch and added the label provided in the bag of Play Doh! I did cover the outside with paper. the paper was cut to 2 1/4 x7". Then it was scored at 2 1/8, 3 1/4, 5 3/8, 6 1/2. I folded it around into a box, added snail adhesive to adhere it closed. I then added a piece of sticky strip to the play

doh container so that it would stick in there. Here is a more intricate design by my friend Joanne B. I loved her

design but ran out of time to make this. But you can also add the Butterfly or flower from the SU Happy Heart Set, color the image in and then punch out with circles for the center of the scalloped circle.

This project was quick and fun!

Memo Holders

2008-02-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

I made these for my daughter's teachers for Valentine's Day presents. I purchased the memo pads at the Target dollar spot. The monkey on the memo pad was a cute touch since my daughter is such a little monkey and is so full of energy each day!
For the back of the pad, I thought that if I put magnetic strips to hold it on, then the person could change out the pad once they were done with the first one. However, my magnetic strips were not strong enough to hold the memo pad, so I had to add a piece of sticky strip to it. I used CS Chocolate Chip and Whisper White. The CS Chocolate Chip was cut to 9 1/4 x 8 1/2 then scored at 4 1/8 and 4 3/8 for the binding. The DS used was from Doodle Bug Designs which I purchased at Right at Home Scrapbooking store and was cut at 9 x 4. I used the SU Happy Thoughts stamp set with Chocolate Chip and Regal Rose ink to decorate the front and added a small silver brad. In addition I used American Crafts polkadot ribbon. I finally added a gel pen to finish the gift so it was complete.

Balloon Wishes

2008-02-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

This spotlight card was made for the PJ party at Paper Pretties challenge using the stamp set Sealed with a Kiss. This card used the Valentine Balloon image which was stamped several times and then I used the spotlight technique for the top of the image to make it pop. I also used crystal effects to give it a shine. The CS used was Basic Black, Real Red and Whisper White. The DS used was from the Target dollar spot. I used my Black marker to doodle around the edges of the white and added a polka dot black ribbon for some pizzazz.

Baby Shower Favors

2008-02-11T19:46:00.000-08:00

I entered a challenge for MFT with this design. The challenge was to create a candy holder. This was a simple design since I only had one MFT set "She's having a Baby". I thought that these would be a cute thank you favor for a baby shower. I simply traced a pattern onto CS - here I used pretty in pink and tempting turquois. I used silver wire and matching beads to coordinate with the colors. I stamped the images with Versamark ink and then embossed with iridescent ice. The tag was stamped with the coordinating ink colors on shimmer paper and then cut out and used the tag corner punch on the ends. The DS used was from Loves Me (retired) for the pink and Flowers for You for the blue. The silver brads added a nice touch to finish off the favors. For the inside, I used a cello bag filled with Hershey kisses wrapped in silver foil for the final touch. Nothing says Thank You like a favor full of chocolates!

Valentine Mailboxes

2008-02-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

Once again, Target dollar spot has gotten me. This time I bought these mailboxes for only $1. Target also had some fabulous DS which I got as well as some ribbon. I made a few templates for the front of the mailbox and the side. I traced onto the DS and then cut out. The side of the mail box was a 4" x 12" piece of CS wrapped around. I made the hole for the flag with a 3/4" circle punch then cut a slit to the hole from the side of the paper to get it around the flag base. I used Mod Podge to adhere the paper. Be sure to line up the paper other wise it will be off centered. I used ribbon that I bought at Michaels and AC Moore. I used foam shapes to decorate the flag. These came out great! You can add more detail if you want with stamped images and other embellishments if you want.

My Daughter's Valentine

2008-02-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

My daughter loves to stamp with me. She really wanted to make a little Sophia Valentine with some sparkle glue we bought at Michael's for her dress. Since she was home sick for a few days, we started on her project. She added the glitter glue herself then I helped her paper piece it to the second image which she colored using my SU markers. We chose the DS from the Dollar Spot at Target to use as well as the ribbon. Anna loved her final project and wanted to post it on the blog. She is so creative. I am sure there will be more to come.

Flowers Full of Wishes

2008-02-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

So when I heard that both my mom and grandmother had the flu, I knew I needed to cheer them up with a special card. I looked to my friend Joanne for her sketch challenge last week which I missed. Sorry Joanne. Greetings Galore is such a great stamp set to use with this sketch as well as Warmest Regards. I always make a few cards per design because I never know which color combination or ribbon that I will like. I think I like the top one best because most of the colors closely match.

I dug into my DS and decided to go with the Flowers for You package. I never used much designer paper with my cards before but I am finding that I love how they dictate the color combinations and make it easy for me to choose which combination I am going to use. I also used Lovely Lilac, Certainly Celery and Whisper White CS. I used markers of the same colors with the addition of Regal Rose. I found some ribbon in my assortment and thought I would test out two types. Next, I decided to creat two different embellishments - one with a flower punch and brads, the other with American Craft buttons and some twine. Finally, I could not forget about the Dazzling Diamonds to sparkle the flowers.

I hope both my mom and my grandmother get them soon and like them. I think they are sweet.

Valentine Candy Treat Holder Tutorial

2008-02-07T02:37:00.000-08:00

Here is another easy Valentine treat to make. First, you need to start with a box of candy hearts. I love sweet tart hearts myself. Then I chose this designer paper that I got at the Dolloar Spot at Target. (The Dollar Spot at Target is truely my weakness.) I cut the designer paper 5 x 71/2. I wrapped it around the box. I used my snail adhesive for the project but you can use sticky strip as well. Do not stick the paper to the box.

Next, I cut a piece of paper for the top 1/2 x 71/2 to wrap around. (If you use double sided paper, cut the first piece 5 x 8 - then fold a 1/2 inch over for the top edge.)

Once that is adhered around, then you want to fold the bottom of the box like you would wrap a present and adhere with snail adhesive. Now you need to remove the box of candy.

Punch holes in the side and insert the ribbon for the handle. If you want a tag on the final project, put it on before you insert the ribbon into the second hole.

Then you insert the box of candy into the box you created and Vola! You have a cute Valentine treat. Another thing you could try, is using any small box, figure out the dimensions and make a holder for anything - a cute little gift or candy treat holder - the ideas are endless.

Sweet Ellie Valentine

2008-02-06T02:46:00.000-08:00

This card was a new creation using a card sketch with Joanne B. had made with this set. I changed the colors and the stamped image. I used Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White Card stock. I used the Brilliance Graphite Black stamp pad. The elephant was colored in with a watercolor pencil and a blender pen. I colored the grass and other hearts with SU markers Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink. Dazzling Diamonds was added with a 2-way glue pen to the hearts. The background was stamped with Pretty in Pink and then the hearts were colored in with a gel pen. The scallop edge was done with the slit punch and embossed using the Crop-a-dile. A taffeta pretty in pink ribbon was added for the final touch. There you go for a Sweet Valentine card.

Another Ellie Valentine

2008-02-06T02:40:00.000-08:00

I have been hooked on this Happy Heart Day set from SU now. Here is another card I made with a twist. I got the color ideas from prbloom on SCS called My First Ellie. I modified the card and changed a few things to make it a flip open card. I used Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, and So Saffron CS. I used for this card the groing Grey SU marker to color in the elephant but I fould later that I liked the watercolor pencil with the blender pen much better. I use SU markers of Rose Red, So Saffron and Certainly Celery to color in the rest of the images. I added a Bashful Blue ribbon. It is closed with a scallop punched flower with a dimensional on the back. The butterfly at the top was stamped on Whisper White CS and then colored with So Saffron marker, dotted with a white gel pen and then cut ou with paper snips. A glue dot in the middle holds it on so that the wing fold out. Although there is alot of stuff to this card, what I like about this card is that it has that super cute butterfly that pops off the top.

Happy Heart Day SU set

2008-02-06T02:22:00.000-08:00

I have been hooked on this set for a while. This is a great set ans easy to use. I have been making cards for a card club and making valentine treats with it as well. Stay tuned to see what I come up with next!

Sweet Sophia Cards

2008-02-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

I just loved playing with this Cuddle Me set from Paper Pretties. I could not decide which card I liked best. I used most of the same elements in each card and rearranged them in different ways according to some sketch challenges and vola! The top card won the first Cutie Pie Contest which Paper pretties held at the end of January but all Sofia cards were submitted. I was inspired by my friend Joanne B. to go to Right at Home scrapbooking store to get some fabulous designer paper. I found this paper by Pebbles Inc. called Party Time Girl Stripe/Flower (background) and Party Time Girl Surprise/Orange which was used to paper piece her dress. I am very partial to pink so I had to try it. I also used a ribbon that I found there as well. Again, I used SU markers to color in Sofia and the Giga scalloped and Mega Oval punches to frame her. For CS, I used Pretty in Pink and Barely Banana as well as Whisper White. The buttons were from American Crafts and the riboons were an assortment of ones that I had in my ribbon box. The third card shown here was a design in which the card filps open. It is closed using the scalloped punched flower which has a dimensional on the back of it. The large eyelet is a retired one from SU that I had in my stash of goodies. I stamped the words by bending the acrylic to get the curved look. I loved playing with all of these and coming up with new designs.

Tag Your It!

2008-01-31T18:35:00.000-08:00

This is a fun game to do. My friend Kathy at http://www.kraftinwithkathy.blogspot.com/ Tagged me so it is my turn to tag you. Here are the details:

Kathy has tagged me with the Middle Name Game! These are the rules:-*You must post the rules before you give your answers.
*You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name.
*Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name.
After you've been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers.At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details.)
My middle name is Ann

A- Always buying new stamps

N- Needing to put more embellishments whenever possible

N- Night Owl stamper

Alright, I am going to tag Joanne, Gwen, and Jeanette

I feel so Grateful......

2008-01-29T19:25:00.001-08:00

I wanted to take some time to thank a lot of my stamping friends as well as my close friends here in Franklin for encouraging and inspiring me to go beyond with my stamping and creativity.

Ann V. is my upline at SU and has been a cherished friend as well who inspires and shares with me her ideas. Not to mention the girls in PA whom are part of the group that I started with, swap with me on a monthly basis. These girls have some fantastic ideas and go outside of the box.

When I came to MA, I looked around for other Demos and was invited to Amy C.'s group which really blew me away. I just was amazed at all that they do and was inspired by their designs and creativity. I was welcomed into the group especially by Erica A. who has really encouraged me not to give up and find my nitch in the stamping world here in MA although it is saturated with alot of SU Demos. Within Erica's group, I have met alot of inspiring people. Kathy W. is such a nice person who is helping me out with my blog and is always working on new ideas and comes up with such creative things. You can vivist her blog on www.kraftinwithkathy.blogspot.com where you will find interesting ideas. In addition, there is Joanne who is involved in several venues but has encouraged me to enter some stamping contests and some publishing entries. She is very creative and always working. You can visit her blog on www.stampedbyhand.blogspot.com for all her latest work and ideas.

My neighbors have also inspired me to move forward and continue to create and share my work. It is fun to share my new creations with them as well as share my craft.

My biggest fan is my daughter. She also creates cards which give me ideas. I also showcase her work as well. She likes creating and doing crafts as well.

I feel so blessed to have all of these people around me to encourage and inspire me! Thank you everyone!

Ellie Valentine

2008-01-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

I love the Happy Heart Day set from SU and I was trying to make a Valentine card that was not too girly. I came across this card on SCS and loved the colors and the layout. I cannot take credit for this one..the original card was made by momof3boys on SCS (I am not sure how to link yet). Since I did not have all the tools and elements to make her exact design, I had to modify it a little with what I had. I used Real Red, Glorious Green, Whisper White and Tempting Turquois CS (can substitute Flowers for YOu DS). I tried several ways to color in Ellie but the one I liked the best was using a grey watercolor pencil with the blender pen. I used Real Red and Glorious Green markers to outline the grass and flowers. On the butterfly, I used Real Red ink pad with the blender pen. The corner punch added the accents to the Glorious Green paper. The scallop punch and Real Red grosgrain ribbon added an interesting feature. I paper peirced around the White CS which always adds a bit of dimension. the Tempting Turquois CS was dotted using Itty Bitty Backgrouns stamp set (SU) with Whisper White craft ink and then embossed with white embossing powder. To add the shine to the hearts and butterfly I used crystal effects. Eventhough there were alot of steps, the card came together rather quickly. I used this card front for a recent swap and most demos loved the different color combination used for a Valentine Day card.

Elegant Sofia

2008-01-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

Here is another sample of the cards I made for the Cutie Pie Contest for Paper Pretties. These two cards were made with the same elements but different orientation to give some variety. The "Cuddle Me" stamp set was used from Paper Pretties. Again, I used the Marvy Giga Scalloped and the Mega Oval Punches to highlight Sofia. The dress was made with stickles in which I had to apply twice and wait for it to dry but the result was worth the wait. I colored in the rest with SU Markers. For a more elegant look, I used SU Basic Black and the DS paper Scrap Strip was from Scenic Route (http://www.scenicroutepaper.com/), the Loveland series, that I purchased at Right At Home Scrapbooking Store (http://www.rightathome.typepad.com)%20in/ ) in N. Attleboro. To make a more symetric look, I used scalloped scissors on the black paper around the words. the ribbon was a combination of organdy white and black polka dots together. I added matching rhinestone brads for the final touch to add some Bling! This card would make a perfect valentine.

What a fun night!

2008-01-29T05:41:00.000-08:00

Last night the Paper Pretties website announced their first ever winner for the "Cutie Pie" Contest. So I used the "Cuddle Me" stamp set from Paper Pretties to enter. There are so many people with great ideas and their creativity astounds me. It was so much fun to play with this set. I entered about 4 or 6 differnt cards. I had so many ideas for this stamp set that I could not help myself but make them all. I was so excited last night and surprised as well that I won! I was very honored to be chosen.

Thanks Christie and the Design Team!

Visit Paper Pretties to see the winning card at http://www.paperpretties.net/ under PaperClip.

Sofia Loves Me

2008-01-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

Paper Pretties has launched their new stamp sets. This one titled "Cuddle Me" is just so cute that I made several cards with this stamp set. Here is the first set of cards that I just adore. This card uses Chocolate Chip CS and Loves Me DS (retired) from SU. I colored Sofia using my SU markers with More Mustard for the Bear and Regal Rose for her dress. I dotted her dress using a gel pen. I used the Marvy Giga Scalloped and Mega Oval punches for the girl which simply framed her. So CUTE! I found some brown polka dot ribbon from American Crafts and these super cute heart brads that I have been hoarding from Queen & Co. that I purchased years ago. I used two different sentiments: one from the Cuddle Me stamp set and the other from Holdiays & Wishes. These were quick and easy cards. I must say that this set is a must have! Visit http://www.paperpretties.net/ for their super cute stamp sets! They are a must have!

Valentine Tic Tac Treats

2008-01-26T18:15:00.000-08:00

This cute little treat I cased from another SU Demo in PA who gave this as their Halloween Swap. I just had some tic-tacs around so decided to try this myself for a valentine treat. In this image, I used Purely Pomegranate and Regal Rose CS (fav color combo) with the Pomegranate stitched ribbon. The new Happy Hearts Day stamp set made it really easy to decorate the front using the Rose Red and Regal Rose markers to stamp the image. I added Dazzling Diamonds to just add a little sparkle. It was pretty easy and lots of fun. I also used Real Red and Pretty in Pink CS and markers to make some other ones as well.

Winter Wishes

2008-01-26T17:50:00.001-08:00

I wanted to thank my neighbors for all the thoughtful gifts they gave us at Christmas time. I saw this card a friend of my received as a swap from convention and put it on my MUST DO list. I thought it was the perfect card for this time of year.

I am not sure who made this card originall y but would love to give credit to the person who did.

I did not have the supplies that the person used so I changed the colors around and came up with this version.

The stamp set used was Supersize Snowflake that I borrowed from my friend. I stamped the words in Purely Pomegranate on Whisper White CS which matched the Bravo Burgundy Grosgrain ribbon. I used stripped glitter paper from Provo Christmas Glitter Stack. The Snow Jumbo wheel was used with a versamark ink cartridge and embossed with Iridescent Ice powder. I punched a snowflake, added Dazzling Diamonds to the ends and place a green rhinestone brand in the middle to add the final touch. I was very pleased with the outcome and my neighbors seemed to like it too.