A Chalked Mouse...and birds

Isn't this the cutest little image? I chalked the background and then stamped the image in Versamark and colored it with I kan dee shimmer chalks. The instructions for this technique can be found here. Super, super easy and fast! I usually color my House Mouse images darker with copic markers or prismacolor pencils, but wanted to try a pastel version. I like how simple it is, and because I used shimmer chalks it's really sparkly. I wish you could see it in the picture. The card is made with Papertrey White, Bazzill Bling and patterned paper from my stash. The image is House Mouse Helping Hand.
Day 4--Still growing....
Have a blessed day!

Twenty Red Roses

Twenty years ago, yesterday, my husband and I were married. It is amazing to me how fast the time has flown. We have been through so much together. We have six beautiful children that 20 years ago, we never imagined having. They are true blessings and we love them very much. I am married to the most wonderful, supportive, and loving man on earth. I am one very blessed lady!

Imagine my surprise when I opened the door to find a massive amount of roses in the doorway. I couldn't even see the delivery man!! Twenty roses is ALOT of roses. They are so beautiful and I just wanted to share them with everyone. Unfortunately, they won't last forever, but this picture will. Thanks, honey. I love you!

I know I should have posted this yesterday, but I'm ashamed to say I honestly didn't think of it. Shame on me!

Stars...and birds

After watching this, I was inspired to pull out my Tonic Border Punch system . I have had this for quite some time, but haven't used it in a while. I used the first stamp set that I bought from Papertrey Ink, Textboxed. I haven't used this in a while either. This is the one that started my addiction to Papertrey stamps. It is a good thing that we cannot be charged with stamp neglect, because I would be in serious trouble. Anyone else out there seem to get caught up in the new stuff and forget to use the old. Anyways, I thought this stamp went well with the star punch. I cut a strip off my card with the Cutterpede wavy blade and covered a piece of 1/8 in. O'So Sticky tape with Martha Stewart glitter. I put stickles on the stars. Here is a better picture of the border detail.The birds...day 3. They are starting to lose their fuzz and their eyes are really open wide now.
Aren't they so adorable! This picture reminds me of when my babies were little and I loved watching them sleep.
My husband and I were sitting on the front steps last night watching the interaction between the mom and her babies. Those little babies knew exactly the moment their mom came close. Isn't God's creation so amazing!!
Have a blessed day!







Supplies-Paper: Cryogen White, Bazzill; Ink: Versamagic Chalk Night Sky, Red Magic; Stamps: PTI Textboxed; Accessories: Tonic star punch & border system, Cutterpede wave blade, Martha Stewart garnet glitter, O'So Sticky Tape, crystal stickles

Papertake Christmas & Birds

The Papertake Weekly Challenge this week is to make a Christmas card. This card uses the House Mouse stamp Peppermint Delight. I just think he is so adorable. I colored him with prismacolor pencils and OMS and added some sparkle to his peppermint with the Spica clear glitter pen. The paper is from DCWV Christmas Stack.Yesterday, my children came running in the house full of excitement. "Mom, get your camera!" They had found a bird's nest. So, I grabbed my camera and shot some pictures. It was really cool because the nest is right at eye level, so they can see right into the nest. It was so much fun to see their excitement and we decided that we need to document their growth on a daily basis, so these are the first pictures.
Day 1--They are so tiny, and alot of fluff.Day 2--Their eyes are open today. The kids are really enjoying seeing the changes taking place on a daily basis.

Have a blessed day!




Supplies-Stamps: House Mouse Peppermint Delight, Merry Christmas (Michaels); Paper: Bazzill, PTI White, DCWV Christmas stack; Ink- Palette Burnt Umber, L'Amore Red; Accessories-Prismacolor pencils, OMS, Copic marker W-1, Spica clear glitter pen, spiral clip, ribbon, dimensionals

Blog Makeover!

I decided my blog needed a makeover. I wanted my blog to reflect more of my personality and the template I was using was just not cutting it. I apologize to anyone who may have been trying to visit my blog while I was playing around with it. I know it was a mess. I scared myself silly about a dozen times.

I had really challenged myself this summer to learn something new and I think I have been successful in accomplishing that challenge. I have learned so much this summer. I knew absolutely nothing about how a blog worked a month ago. I learned how to make a watermark in Photoshop Elements and how to make my own signature using my Wacom tablet. I have spent way too many hours on the computer this summer, but I have thoroughly enjoyed every second. Sadly, I must start gearing my focus back to school. We start school in three weeks and I have much to do to get ready. I guess I need to challenge myself to schedule better so I can have more "me time".

I hope you enjoy the new look. I think it is much easier on the eyes.

Have a blessed day!

P.S. I have removed the slide show at the bottom of my page in case you are looking for it. I am in the process of creating a gallery, the link should be up soon.

Vellum!

I made this card using Papertrey Chocolate Remix patterned paper and Sweet Blush cardstock and vellum. I colored the chocolate text boxed paper with copic markers. The sentiment is from Everyday Blessings. I stamped the butterfly from Purple Daisy Designs in Versamark on the vellum and embossed with Pink Embossing Glitter from Ranger. I used the coordinating punch from EK Success to punch the butterfly. Gotta love a coordinating punch, uh? The ribbon is satin Papertrey Chocolate . This card was made using this sketch from Papertake Weekly Challenge.
I wanted to use the vellum as my card base, so I made another card using Honey Bees and the Linen Vellum, Lavender Moon and Plum Pudding. The butterfly is Guide Lines patterned paper punched with a Martha Stewart punch. I added diamond stickles to the flower centers and the edges of the butterfly. The corners are punched with a Fiskars corner embossing punch, although you can't really see the embossing very well in this picture. The ribbon is satin Papertrey Plum Pudding .
I had the hardest time getting a picture of this card. I think I spent an hour or more just trying to get a good picture. This was the best of the bunch, but I am still not all that excited about it. I came to the conclusion that vellum is not very photogenic.

Thanks for looking!

Just Playing

I thought I could live without the Honey Bees set from Papertrey. What was I thinking??? I finally broke down and bought it and I have to say I have not had this much fun playing with a new stamp set in a long time. I have been wanting to try my hand at some 3x3 cards for a while now and thought I would just go ahead and give it a whirl while I was playing. I just stamped my images on Papertrey Lemon Tart paper with Papertrey inks and tied a ribbon around the bottom. So cute!
I really like the pink, it's my favorite. Of course, I love pink! I realize my Aqua Mist ink is off. I will be reordering it as soon as Papertrey gets it back in stock with the kinks worked out of it. I still think it's pretty though.

Have a blessed day!




Supplies: All supplies Papertrey-Stamps-Honey Bees; Paper-Lemon Tart; Ink-Berry Sorbet, Spring Moss, Aqua Mist, Plum Pudding, Summer Sunrise; Ribbon-Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet, Plum Pudding

Unity On Papertrey

I just received my first Unity stamps, and I must say I really like stamping with them. They are so easy to use and I got a great impression the very first time. I used the tree and the owl from the July Kit of the Month. I knew when I first saw this kit, I would have to have it. It has the cutest owls ever. I used Papertrey paper and ribbon and I just love the way it came together.
Here you can see a close up of the card. I hope you can see the glitter from the clear Spica pen I used on the leaves and the dots on the owl's belly. I colored the tree with Copics and decided the owl needed a little bit of color so I colored his wings with a Putty Copic marker. I used circle nestibilities for the owl and the mat and rectangle nestibilities to cut the tree image.
Thanks for looking! Have a blessed day!


Supplies: Stamps-Unity July KOTM; Ink-Palette Burnt Umber, PTI Spring Moss; Paper-PTI White, Spring Moss, Everyday Blessings PP; Copics-E49,YG91,YG95, Clear Spica Glitter pen; Other-PTI Spring Moss grosgrain ribbon, brown ribbon (unknown), rectangle & circle nestibilities

Pink Paisley Girlz

I made this card using the CPS #74 Sketch. The image is from the Girlz & Boyz set by The Angel Company. I tried my hand at paper piecing, I think she came out pretty cute. I am just not sure about the shoes now that I am looking at it on here. The colors look much lighter on my screen than they do in real life. I colored the image with Copics and paper pieced her dress and purse with Papertrey Pink Patterns paper. I cut out the image with square nestibilities and rubbed metallic rub-ons cameo pink around the edge of the square. The flower is a cuttlebug die.
I mounted my layers using mounting tape to give it more dimension. Here you can see the layers a little better.
Supplies: Stamp-TAC Girlz & Boyz; Ink-Palette Noir; Paper-PTI White, DCWV Spring Glitter Stack, PTI Pink Patterns pp; Other-Cuttlebug flower die, prima flower, brad, Copics, square nestibilities, metallic rub-ons, PTI Berry Sorbet satin dots ribbon

Have a blessed day!

Monday Mojo Challenge

Today's card is made using the Monday Mojo Challenge #47 found here. I used Verve's Anniversary Birds, -I just love this set- and Verve's Psalm 37:4. The patterned paper is from the My Minds Eye Magnolia stack. I cut the image with Petite Oval Nestibilities and the border is Martha Stewart zig zag border punch.
Supplies- Stamps-Verve Anniversary Birds, Psalm 37:4; Paper-PTI Summer Sunrise, MME Magnolia, Bazzill; Ink-Palette Landscape, Beaux Arts Blue, PTI Summer Sunrise; Other-Spellbinders Nestibilities, corner rounder, rhinestone, MS zig zag punch

Thanks for looking! Have a blessed day!

I Have A Purpose

I am sorry if this sounds "preachy". It is not my intent. I just wanted to share something with you that left me feeling so inspired. We had some really great services at our church Sunday. We had a visiting minister come who spoke about our purpose. Have you ever wondered why you were born where you were born, or when you were born, or to the family you were born to? I mean really...why did God allow us to be born here and now and not 200 years ago in another part of the world to a different family or in a different culture? It is because he has a purpose for us where we are, at this time, and in this place. Wherever you are, whoever you are...you are exactly where you are supposed to be and God has a purpose for your life. We are all part of something so much bigger than ourselves. In this world, in this day and age, that is just so awesome! I know to some it may seem so small and trivial, and to some it may be nothing new, and really, I have heard it before, too. For some reason, I just needed to hear it again, and it really inspired me.

If you are still with me, I wanted to share a desktop wallpaper I created. I really enjoy digital scrapbooking and love to make a different wallpaper every month. This month is featuring my husband and I since we are celebrating 20 years of marriage this month. I am so blessed to have this man in my life. He is such an encouragement to me and I love him dearly. God has truly blessed me with a man who loves and cherishes me.
I used graphics from Shabby Miss Jenn Designs Flower Stand and Cottage Arts.

Have a really blessed day!

They're Coming Home

Today is the day! My boys are coming home from church camp this afternoon. They have been away since Sunday afternoon. I have been so surprised at my feeling of loss with them away. You know, when you homeschool, your kids are with you pretty much 365/24/7. I don't know about you other homeschool moms out there, but after a while your brain starts screaming, "I need a break!". I was so looking forward to this break. I had so many plans, so much I was going to accomplish while they were away. The truth...I had no energy, no mojo, no desire to really do anything. I think I was seriously depressed! If that isn't the craziest thing ever. I think this time away has been great for me and for them as well. We have a whole new appreciation for each other and I have really come to realize how much I need them and want to spend every minute with them. I miss the noise, the refrigerator door opening every 10 minutes, the "Mom, I'm hungry", the "Mom, I'm bored", and yes, even the fighting. I miss my family room being covered in blocks and army men and seeing them building forts together, or hearing them just talk and play together. Mostly, this week stopped me in my tracks and made me take the time to realize all of the "little things" they bring into my life. I have gone from a homeschool mom on the edge of burn-out to a homeschool mom looking forward to spending more time and making more memories with my children. I think maybe now I am ready to plan and look forward to the next school year. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be able to homeschool my children and to share every part of their lives, to watch them grow, and to share every accomplishment and to know that I have a part in their everyday lives. I thank the Lord every day for my children. They are such a blessing to me. On those tough days when I struggle and think, "Am I going to be able to make it until bedtime?", I know it is God's grace and love that gives me the strength to keep going.

Have a great day and take time to enjoy the little things!

Vintage Anniversary

I have always loved the vintage look, but always felt intimidated when trying to do that look on a card. Well, I thought I would give it a shot. Here is what I came up with.
I used Anna Griffin paper, which just screams vintage to me. I really love her paper, it is so beautiful. I also used my new Martha Stewart doily lace punch. It makes such a nice border. The sentiment is from Anniversary Birds by Verve Stamps.

On the inside, I just added strips of scrap paper to the bottom and stamped another sentiment from Anniversary Birds in Ranger Old Paper ink.
Supplies: Paper-PTI Vintage Cream, Anna Griffin PP, vellum; Ink-Palette Moulin Rouge, Ranger Old Paper Distress Ink; Other-Heart Nestibilities, Offray crochet ribbon, Target satin ribbon, prima, silk and Bride's confetti flowers from Michaels, buttons, brads, embroidery floss, mounting tape, Martha Stewart doily lace edge punch

My Little Crafter

I just have to share this card that my five year old made. She loves to craft with me and she is usually right by my side snatching all of my "leftovers". She made this card for her big sister all by herself. She is really quite creative and I love seeing what she comes up with.
Yesterday, my husband and I took my four boys to church camp for the week. It is so quiet. With six kids here almost always, I am just not used to it being this quiet. I am going to savor the moments and enjoy the time I have to spend alone with my youngest . That almost never happens. She has a list of things for us to do together which, of course, includes crafting. It's going to be a great day!

Enjoy your day...and don't forget to celebrate the little things!

Cupcake Challenge Card

Happy Saturday! I decided to attempt the Cupcake Challenge this week at Taylored Expressions, a first for me. This was so much fun. Thanks for looking.
I used Papertrey Sweet Blush, White and Pink Patterns paper. The cupcake is from Studio G. I used liquid applique and glitter on the cupcake icing, and a rhinestone for the cherry.

Supplies: Paper-PTI White, Sweet Blush, Pink Patterns; Ink-PTI Berry Sorbet; Stamp-Studio G clear stamps; Other-1 1/4 in. punch (EKSuccess), Copic markers, liquid applique, glitter, PTI Sweet Blush polka dot ribbon, MM tag maker, rhinestone, distresser

Home Decor

I made this saying to go in my foyer with my Cricut. I have been wanting to try this for so long. The truth is, I was scared to death. I was so afraid I would ruin my only 2 pieces of vinyl. It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. The only real problem was that I am such a perfectionist and had to get it just right. Looking at this picture, I can still see some imperfections, but, since I am not going to be staring at it for long, I think I can let it go.
I could not find the color that I was looking for to make the word "Christ", so I decided to try making my own. I used white repositionable contact paper that I bought at Walmart and applied Adirondack Alcohol inks to get the color I was looking for. It worked perfectly, and added a really nice textural interest to the letters. I tried to capture it in the picture below, but I am not really sure how well you can see it. I am really happy about the way this turned out and can't wait to make more.

Another Birthday Shout Out

Happy Birthday to my niece, Sharian! Here is the card I made for her.The image is from Everything Nice. It is a retired set from The Angel Company. I colored it with Copics and Spica Glitter pens. The image and Prism paper matting was cut with Spellbinders Petite Oval Nestibilities. The sheer flower is from Maya Road and is colored with a Copic marker.

I love to make the inside of cards extra special. Here is what I did with this one. I stamped the inside flowers using Papertrey Piece of Cake and the sentiment is Papertrey Birthday Basics.
Supplies: Stamps-TAC, Papertrey; Paper-Prism, Papertrey White, PP unknown; Ink-Palette Noir, Versamagic Chalk Pixie Dust & Pink Petunia; Spellbinders Nestibilities Petite Oval, Fiskars Border Punch, Copic Markers, Spica Glitter Yellow & Melon, ribbon, rhinestones, Maya Road Sheer Blossom, Prima flowers, brad from Pink Hedgehog Crafts

A Birthday Shout Out

Today is my niece, Elizabeth's, birthday. Happy Birthday, Elizabeth! She is 5 today. Here is her card.The image is Friends Don't Mind from the Cornish Heritage Farms Friendly Kritters line. I colored it with Copic markers and airbrushed the background. The hedgehog belly and the skunk fur are flocked, and the balloons have clear glitter glaze on them. It makes you want to just reach out and touch it.

Tip: I used a dab of Crystal Lacquer under the knot on the bow to keep it tied.

Supplies: Stamps-CHF Friends Don't Mind, PTI Mixed Messages; Paper-PTI White, Plum Pudding, ATD Vibrant PP; Ink-Palette Noir, Colorbox Chalk Wisteria; Copic markers & copic airbrush system, ribbon, black & white fun flock, clear glitter glaze, cuttlebug tag, jump ring, Making Memories slot tool, Crystal Lacquer

Papertake Weekly Challenge

I finally got brave enough to try a challenge! I used the Papertake Weekly Challenge sketch for this card. It was really a lot of fun. I used my new Gruffies stamp, Bedtime Story, stamped in Palette Burnt Umber and colored with Copic markers. I cut out the circles using Spellbinders Petite Cirle Nestibilities. Paper is Papertrey White, Spring Moss, Lemon Tart and Bitty Baby Blessings PP. I inked all the edges with Colorbox Chalk Creamy Brown. The tag was made using Spellbinders ribbon tags and the sentiment is from Papertrey Paper Tray stamp set. Ribbon is Papertrey Spring Moss and brads are light yellow from Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts.

Thanks for looking! Have a great day!

Finally!

I finally found the time to photograph the Father's Day project that I mentioned in a previous post. I made this album for the wonderful father of my children . I used Dad's Rule Album and Dad's Rule Kit from Shabby Miss Jenn Designs. I used my Bind-it-all to bind it and then embellished the pages to make them easier to turn. I had so much fun making this.







I love you, hon. Thanks for being such a great father and husband. You mean the world to me -- my world would be so empty without you!!

Happy 4th!!

Happy Independence Day! I am so thankful for our freedom here in the USA. I am so proud to be an American. I know we are not perfect, but we are blessed with so much. I love House Mouse stamps! Aren't they just the cutest little creatures ever. My kids think it is so funny that I like them so much, because IRL I am scared to death of mice. I guess they are much safer on paper.

I colored this image--stamped on Papertrey White-- with Copic markers and then used my Sakura Glaze clear pen to color the bubbles. I covered the glass part of the bubble gum machine with clear Papier Glass Finish to make it look like real glass. You can't tell in the picture, but it really does look like glass. I used Bazzill cardstock and the pattern paper is from DCWV Summer Glitter stack. I used my Making Memories slot punch to thread the white twill and red gingham ribbon thru. I had so much fun making this card.

My Mom

My mom is an amazing woman who totally inspires me. She is really quiet, but has so much wisdom and love to give. She has always supported my dad and has always been there for my brothers and I. She loves God with her whole heart and has committed her life to serving God and others. I don't remember ever hearing her say anything negative about anyone, she is always positive and looks for the best in everyone. Thank you, Mom, for being such a great example to me and my family. I so look up to you and I am striving to possess the great qualities you have. (I know I have a long way to go.)
My mom's birthday was last month, so since I posted my dad's card I thought it only fair to post hers as well. When I saw this stamp set I knew I had to have it. My mom is a bird lover and I thought of her immediately. The stamps are from the All Things of Nature stamp set by The Angel Company. I stamped the quote and the bird and cut them out with my Nesties. I then cut the mats with my Nesties as well. The bird is colored with Copic markers. The pattern paper is digital paper from Cinzia Loosemoore's Spring Inspiration kit. I love this kit. You can find it at www.Digital Freebies.com. (I really need to learn how to make links.)
Here is the inside of the card. I am really sorry about the shadows. I guess I need to work on my picture taking abilities. I love "decorating" the inside of my cards. Here I just used a strip of paper from the front adhered to a strip of cardstock, and stamped the little egg from the stamp set on the opposite page. I stamped the sentiment with Papertrey's Birthday Basics set. This is my go-to set for all my birthday cards lately.

Happy Birthday, Dad

I have been extremely blessed to have such a wonderful Dad. He has been such an inspiration to me over the years. I am so very, very thankful for his example to me and my family. As I get older and raise my own children, I am often reminded of the sacrifices my parents made for their children. I know I am what I am today because of their willingness to be used of God and to always put God first in their lives. Thank you, Dad, for being such a blessing to me.

Now, for the card deets. I used Papertrey Out On a Limb and Birds of a Feather stamps, Palette Landscape, Prussian Blue and PTI Spring Moss inks, TAC Olive, PTI Spring Moss, Prism cardstocks. I used my Copic B00 to airbrush the background. I know you can't really see it in the picture, but I used my clear Spica pen to add a dot for the eye. Check out my really cute envie. I used the Papertrey Father Knows Best happy birthday stamp and the same stamps and inks as on the card. I just love the way it turned out.

A Father's Day Card

This is the card I made for my husband for Father's Day. I am really in love with the Riley stamps from Hannah Stamps. They are so adorable and SO much fun to color. I colored him with Prismacolor pencils and Goo Gone and stamped the banner with a stamp from Papertrey's Pond Life stamp set. I used Liquid Applique for the clouds.

I also made my husband a chipboard album for Father's Day. I really loved how it turned out and he said it was the best gift ever, even better than a flat screen TV (which he really wants). What a huge compliment! I still have not taken pictures of it yet, but will post them when I do.