Thanks, Jackie!

I received this award from Jackie several days ago. I feel so honored. Thank you, Jackie. It is always nice to know that others admire your work. I started blogging for me, but it is nice to know that it touches others and that is my greatest reward. Here are the rules.
1. The winner can put the logo on their blog
2. Link the person you received your award from
3. Nominate 7 other blogs
4. Put links of those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the girls you've nominated
I am going to take this opportunity to let some bloggers know that I have been "lurking" on their blogs for some time. I have them in my Google reader and read them every day, but seldom, if ever, comment. I have learned so much from these ladies, and I admire them greatly. Here is my list.
Mish Mash
My Time, My Creations, My Stampendence
Thinking Inking
Poetic Artistry
It's Not All Black & White
Stamping and Stuff
For the Love of Paper
Thanks ladies for sharing your talents, and being an inspiration to others.

I Stitched!

The Papertake Weekly Challenge this week was to stitch on your card. Now, I have been wanting to try this for a long time. I even have my sewing machine set up so it is right there ready to use. I have just been too afraid, although I don't know why, to try it. So, since I really enjoy doing the Papertake Weekly Challenges, I decided it was time to take the challenge and face my fear. I did a very simple stitch around the outside of the layer, and sad to say you can barely see it, but it is there and I do really like the way it looks. I think you will be seeing more stitching from me, it really wasn't so bad.

This was such a simple card to make. I found this really great Anna Griffin background stamp on clearance and inked it up with the new Papertrey color, Pure Poppy. (I am so in love with this new color!) I stamped it on Papertrey White, layered it on Spring Moss, and stitched. I distressed the edges and "picked" at the edges of the stitched layer to give it some dimension. I added the tag and adhered it to my Pure Poppy card base.

The tag was made using Spellbinders ribbon tags. I stippled Spring Moss ink on the tag and inked the edges. I stamped the sentiment from Garden of Life in pure poppy ink.

Thanks for looking. Have a blessed day!







Supplies: Stamps-Anna Griffin background stamp, Garden of Life (PTI); Ink-Papertrey Pure Poppy, Spring Moss; Paper-Papertrey White, Spring Moss, Pure Poppy; Accessories-Spellbinders ribbon tags, Papertrey Spring Moss satin ribbon, distresser, sewing machine, stipple brush

Papertrey Blooms

Happy Thursday, everyone. I hope your week has been going well. The weather is finally starting to cool off and fall is in the air. I am so excited, I just love fall!

I made my own background paper for this card using different flower stamps from Papertrey Ink. I used a Spica clear glitter pen to highlight the centers and dots on some of the flowers for some added sparkle. I then cut a 4 X4 inch square and adhered it to the top of my card base of Spring Moss. I cut a 1 1/2 x 4 in. piece of Lavender Moon cardstock and punched a flower using the Tonic flower punch. I stamped the sentiment from Garden of Life and the leaf from Wedding Day and adhered it to the bottom of the card base.

I cut a slit in the side of my card where I wanted the ribbon to be and tied the ribbon around the card. I wanted to use a clear sheer flower but felt it needed some color to add more depth, so I colored it with a Pale Lilac Copic marker. The pink flower is a silk flower. I like to buy silk flowers and take the petals off to use on my cards. Super cheap, they come in all colors, they go a long ways, and I like the way they look. I just added a piece of knotted Lavender Moon satin swiss dot ribbon to the top with a glue dot.

I hope you all have a very blessed day!





Supplies: Stamps-Papertrey-Beautiful Blooms, Garden of Life, Flower Garden, Wedding Day; Ink-Papertrey-Spring Moss, Aqua Mist, Lavender Moon, Plum Pudding, Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise; Paper-Papertrey-Spring Moss, White, Lavender Moon; Accessories-Copic marker, Spica clear glitter pen, Maya Road Sheer Blossoms, silk flower, Lavender Moon and Plum Pudding satin swiss dot ribbon (Papertrey), Tonic flower punch

TAC Tuesday

I'm sorry for posting so late. I did not have my cards photographed and needed to finish with school before I could get to it. I have been wanting to make some of those inchies that are so popular right now. I went through my TAC stamps and found these really great stamps that I thought would make really cute fall note cards. They are the perfect size for inchies.

This card was made using DCWV cardstock and some fall papers that I bought at Walmart last year.
This card uses TAC kraft cardstock and the same fall papers. I am not sure why the paper looks uneven in this photo. It must have been the angle of the shot.
This card is made with some paper I found in my stash. I must have stamped the leaves last fall. I am not sure what stamps I used. It looks like they were stamped in Versamark on Bazzill cardstock. I really like the way it looks, I will have to figure out what I used.
All the images are from the stamp set "For All Seasons" by The Angel Company and are stamped on watercolor paper and colored using Lyra Aquacolor crayons and a water brush.

Have a blessed day!

Papertrey Shadowbox

The challenge for the Papertrey Blog Hop this month was to use a CD case in a way other than it was intended. I decided to make a shadowbox. I really love the way it turned out!I used Anna Griffin pattern paper with Papertrey Spring Moss and Pure Poppy cardstock. The sentiment is from Everyday Blessings and is stamped in Pure Poppy. I stamped a flourish from Wedding Day in the center with Spring Moss. I used silk flowers and a brad from Michael's brides collection. The butterfly is stamped with versamark on vellum and embossed with Enchanted Gold embossing powder and punched with the EK Success butterfly punch. The crocheted lace ribbon is from Offray. I used Spring Moss swiss dots ribbon accented with brads at the end and glued to the edge with glue dots.



Thanks for looking!








Supplies: Stamps-Papertrey Everyday Blessings, Wedding Day, butterfly stamp, Purple Daisy Designs; Ink-Papertrey Spring Moss, Pure Poppy, Versamark; Paper-Papertrey Spring Moss, Pure Poppy, Anna Griffin pp, vellum; Accessories-CD case (Papertrey), silk flowers, pearl brad, red brads, ribbon (Offray & PTI spring moss swiss satin), EK Success butterfly punch, Ranger enchanted gold embossing powder, nestibilities

Mousie Monday

For my House Mouse card today, I decided to use this adorable stamp named "The Quick Fix". I stamped it on Papertrey White with Momento Tuxedo Black and colored it with Copic markers. It is definitely not my best coloring job, sorry. I used shimmer chalks on the background and cut it with rectangle nestibilities. I started the card with Papertrey Dark Chocolate cardstock as my base and the pattern papers are from the Sizzix Earth Tones pack.

I hope you like it. I am keeping it short and sweet today, I am off to start our school day. I will be back later tonight to post my Papertrey Blog Hop project, so please stop back by later.

Have a blessed day!






Supplies: Stamp-House Mouse The Quick Fix; Ink-Momento Tuxedo Black; Paper-PTI White, Dk Chocolate, Sizzix Earth Tones; Accessories-Copics, nestibilities, shimmer chalks, hardware(TAC), embroidery floss, buttons, ribbon from stash, Fiskars rope border punch, corner rounder

Seize the day

I found a few minutes to make a card today, and decided to give Mandy's sketch challenge a try. The challenge was to use only rub-ons or stickers, so it sounded like it would not be too time consuming. I have a ton of rub-ons and always forget to use them, so this was a good challenge for me.

I used Papertrey Pure Poppy as my base, and scraps from DCWV Black & White prints, the gray is Bazzill. The rub-on sentiment I used is from Royal Birthday Quotes, and the damask from Plaid.

The circles were cut from circle punches. Notice there is no ribbon. I can't believe I made a card with no ribbon!

This challenge was a lot of fun. I think I will be pulling out those rub-ons more often.

Have a blessed day!

a Riley for you

I made this card for the Papertake Weekly Challenge. The challenge was to use Katharina's sketch. I used my new Baking Riley stamp that I haven't had a chance to ink up yet. The card base is made using Papertrey's Dark Chocolate cardstock. I then layered powder blue Bazzill cardstock that I embossed using an Ellison texture plate. It doesn't show up very well in the photo. The pattern paper is from the DCWV Spring Glitter matstack.
I stamped Riley in Momento Tuxedo Black and colored him with Copic markers. I added white opal liquid pearls to the cupcakes for icing. I also colored the background with Shimmer Chalks. I really love coloring the background with these and use them on almost every card I make.

Thanks for looking and thanks to all of you who take the time to leave me comments. It means so much!

Have a blessed day!






Supplies: Stamps-Baking Riley (Hanna Stamps), Limitless Labels (Papertrey); Paper-DCWV Spring Glitter matstack, PTI White, Dark Chocolate, Bazzill powder blue; Ink-Momento Tuxedo Black, Palette Burnt Umber, Colorbox Chalk Creamy Brown; Accessories-Copic markers, liquid pearls, shimmer chalks, brad, eyelets, jewelry cord, circle punches, rectange nestibilities, ellison texture plate

Another Cuttlebug Wedding Card

This is another wedding card I made last week for the wedding that my daughter was in. The wedding couple's colors were black and red. I made it the same way as the other card, just changed up a few things. I used circle nestibilities for the tag and stamped a sentiment from Papertrey's Favor It Weddings. I tied it to the black ribbon with Scrappers Floss.
On the inside of the card, I used the Scor-pal to score lines around all four sides. I stamped swirls from The Angel Company's Butterfly Swirls set, and the sentiment from Papertrey's birthday basics. I then matted it on red and black cardstock. I really love the way this card turned out and it was so easy to make.
Have a really blessed day!






Supplies: Stamps-TAC Butterfly Swirls, Papertrey Favor it Weddings, Birthday Basics; Ink-Palette L'Amour Red, Noir; Paper-Papertrey White, Bazzill; Accessories-Cuttlebug, embossing folders swirls and swiss dots, Scor-pal, black satin ribbon, circle nestibilities, red Scrapper's floss

Keep it simple

I received my August kit of the month from Unity Stamps yesterday, and I just couldn't wait to ink it up. Here is what I made with it. The kit is called remember Happiness and has the cutest images. I only had a few minutes to play, so I quickly whipped out Cryogen White cardstock for my card base. You can't tell in the photo, but it is really sparkly. I colored the stamps with Tombow markers and stamped on the card base. I punched a scrap with the Martha Stewart classic butterfly punch and put Stickles around the edges for some added bling. I tied a pink bow around the card and added some pink rhinestones in the flower centers and the card was finished. I had so much fun with these stamps, I can't wait to play with the rest of the set. This kit is only available the month of August, so if you feel the need to purchase it, you only have a few more days left.

Have a blessed day!





Supplies: Stamps-Unity Kit of the Month remember Happiness; Paper-Cryogen White, scrap from stash; Accessories-Tombow markers, pink rhinestones, Martha Stewart classic butterfly punch, Stardust Stickles, pink ribbon

TAC Tuesday

Here is my TAC card of the week. I used Something Tells Me and it's the little things to make this card. The card base is PTI dark chocolate and the patterned paper is from a stack that I bought at Walmart. I inked all the edges of the pp with Colorbox Chalk Creamy brown. The image is stamped on Papertrey White with Momento Tuxedo Black ink, then cut with the classic rectangle nestibilities. I colored the image with Copic markers and then added a little sparkle to the flowers with a Spica clear glitter pen. To make the circular flower image, I used the Making Memories tag maker. I used mounting tape to place it on the card to give it some dimension. The tag was made using the long rectangle nestibilities and then I used my Making Memories slot punch to thread the ribbon thru. I really like using the smaller long rectangles to make tags. They are the perfect shape and offer so many possibilities.

I hope you enjoyed this card, I had so much fun making it.
Have a blessed day!






Supplies: Stamps-Something Tells Me, it's the little things (both TAC); Ink-Momento Tuxedo Black, PTI Summer Sunrise, Colorbox Chalk creamy brown; Paper-PTI White, Dark Chocolate, ATD Vibrant pp (Walmart); Accessories-Copic markers, Spica clear glitter pen, MM tag maker & rim, Spellbinders long rectangle, classic rectangle, scalloped rectangle dies, PTI dark chocolate satin ribbon

Mousie Monday

School starts for us today. I can not believe the summer is already over. I have really enjoyed my summer. I have been able to spend a lot of time crafting, cardmaking and blogging. It is going to be quite a challenge to find time for everything, with 5 kids in grades K-12, laundry and housework there really isn't much time left for me. I think stamping and blogging is an important part of maintaining my sanity, so I am working on finding a routine that works for all of us. No small feat! Some days leave me feeling like this!
I love this stamp! The first time I saw it, I just knew I had to have it. I thought it would make a great coaster. I inked the stamp using Staz-On, then baked it at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. When it was cool, I colored it with Bic Mark-It markers (I love these!) and prismacolor pencils. It's the perfect coaster for a teacher, don't you think?

I have made many coasters in the past and have always had a difficult time stamping the image clearly. I always keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol next to me when I stamp on tile because I tend to have to clean it off a few times before I get it perfect. Well, I discovered a little tip. I inked my stamp, then turned it upside down and placed the tile on top and pressed down evenly. A perfect impression the first time! I was so happy!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer as much as I have. For those of you who homeschool, have a fantastic school year!

Have a blessed day!

Cuttlebug Wedding

My husband and my daughter are both in weddings this weekend in different parts of the state. The schedules have been crazy!

I needed to make some wedding cards, so I thought I would make one of those beautiful cuttlebug/Scor-pal cards I have been seeing alot of lately. I started with Papertrey Aqua Mist cardstock as my card base. The embossed panel was made using Papertrey White cardstock. I love the way it embosses in the cuttlebug! I used the textile embossing folder on the top and the swiss dots folder on the bottom and then scored two lines in the middle the width of the ribbon I was using (which is Papertrey Aqua Mist satin). I then tied the ribbon around the middle and added a jump ring with the tag in the middle of the bow. The sentiment on the tag says "Two hearts One love" and is from Papertrey Favor It Weddings. I made the pin and stuck it in the middle of the knot. The tag was made using the Spellbinders tags.
The inside is a panel of Papertrey White, which I embossed around the edges with my Scor-pal. I stamped the monogram of the couple and then the sentiment over the top. The sentiment is from Papertrey Birthday Basics. I think it works nicely for a newly wed couple and I didn't have anything else. I am on the lookout for some nice wedding sentiments if anyone knows of any.
For some reason this picture doesn't show the embossed lines on the top and bottom, the embossed lines are actually all the way around the panel.

Have a blessed day!






Supplies: Stamp-Papertrey Birthday Basics, Favor It weddings; Ink-Versamagic Aquatic Splash, Colorbox Chalk Aquamarine; Paper-Papertrey Aqua Mist, White; Accessories-Cuttlebug embossing folders (textile & swiss dots), Scor-pal, Spellbinders tags, PTI Aqua Mist satin ribbon, jump ring, beads, pin

Big Kick For Sale

I have a brand new, in the package, Sizzix BIGKick Starter set for sale. I bought one of these and my husband bought me one at about the same time, and I really don't need two!
This package includes the BIGKick machine, 1 pair standard cutting pads, the multipurpose platform, the Frame #2 Bigz die, Sizzlits heart w/swirl die, flower w/leaf and swirl die, Simple Impressions Embossing folder phrase Thanks so Much w/flowers, 2 blank simple impressions embossing folders with glue tabs, and some paper samples
I am asking $65.00 plus $8.95 shipping. U.S. shipping only. I will accept Paypal.

Please let me know if you are interested or have any questions.

Katharina is celebrating 100,000 hits on her blog. I love using Katharina's sketches and now she has her own stamp company with the most adorable stamps. Check out her blog and sign up for the blog candy she is giving away. While you are there, click on the graphic on the right to check out her new stamps. Warning: You will fall in love and have to own them!

TAC Tuesday

I am really having a lot of fun making 3 inch square cards. I decided to use Sweet Tweets from The Angel Company. I stamped the images on Papertrey Vintage Cream cardstock and colored them with Prismacolor pencils and OMS. I tied the ribbon around the top and that was it, really quick and easy.
Have a blessed day!






Supplies: Stamp-Sweet Tweets (The Angel Company) Paper-Papertrey Vintage Cream; Ink-Momento Tuxedo Black; Prismacolor pencils, OMS, ribbon

Mousie Monday

I have been busy getting ready to start the school year and I bought this really great planner at Wal-mart. It had a plain cover, so I decided to dress it up a little bit. I chose to use one of the new House Mouse stamps called Scuttle School. It seemed so appropriate.

The patterned paper is from my stash, I am not sure, but I think it may be DCWV. I sponged all the edges in tea dye distress ink. I distressed the edges of the tag and sponged Tea Dye distress ink on it as well, then used my Dymo labeler to print "Mom's Planner". I didn't have the exact color label I wanted, so I colored it with caramel alcohol ink. I finished it off by using a flower eyelet and tying a piece of hemp thread and a pencil charm to the tag.
Here you can see the detail of the stamp. Super cute, huh? The image is colored with Copics and I matted it on Bazzill cardstock. I then punched a border with the Fiskars Diamond punch. I used turquoise and lavender spica glitter pens on the flowers to give them a little bit of sparkle. Now, I don't have to look at a boring planner cover.
Have a blessed day!






Supplies: Paper-Bazzill, PTI white, DCWV pp; Ink-Momento Tuxedo Black, Tea Dye distress ink; Stamp-House Mouse Scuttle School; Copics, Dymo label maker, label punch, eyelet, hemp thread, charm, spica glitter pens, Fiskars diamond border punch

A so-so card...and hail

I don't have much today. I am battling a bad case of poison ivy, and I have been quite miserable. It has spread to my face and my eye is all swollen, and I am really tired of itching all over!!

I made this card last week. I don't really like this card, but I spent so much time on it that I decided to share it anyways. I added the white "faux stitching" as a last ditch effort to add something to it and looking at this picture I realize it isn't even straight! This is for sure going in the circular file! Anyways, I made this card because I wanted to play around with my Tonic Border system punch. I actually like the way that came out. I also wanted to try using the punch as a cut out in the middle of a circle. I like the way that came out, also. I just don't like the overall card.
We had a hail storm yesterday. I don't remember being in a hail storm in a very long time. I remember as a kid we would have hail storms and would love to go outside after to pick it up. That is exactly what my kids did and I just had to get some pictures. They got such a huge kick out of it. It was really fun to see their excitement.
Have a blessed day!

My personal challenge

I have been so busy trying to get ready for school that I completely forgot about posting the card I made for my husband. This was probably the most challenging card I have made to date. I could envision exactly how I wanted it to look, but I had a hard time making it happen.

I wanted to be able to see both birds on the front, but when the card was opened have one missing. I also wanted to have room to write, because my husband gets very disappointed if I do not write in his cards. This is how I did it.

I took a piece of Papertrey Spring Moss cardstock and folded it in thirds. I then cut out the front of the cardstock and the piece of Everyday Blessings cardstock to go on the front with my long rectangle nestibilities. I cut a piece of vellum to fit in the space and then adhered it between the two cardstocks.
I cut a piece of patterned paper to go in the center of my trifold card then I cut a piece of Spring Moss cardstock with a size smaller nestibilities die than I used on the front. I inked the edges and adhered it to be in the center when the card was closed (lots of trial and error here). I stamped the stems in Palette Landscape and then paper pieced the bird and adhered it. I then closed the card and stamped the bird on the vellum. I stamped the sentiment on the inside of the card, then cut a slit in the crease of the fold and tied the ribbon around the front and added the tag.
I wanted the card to close tightly so you could see through the vellum, so I used magnetic snaps to close it. I am pretty happy with the way it came out and my husband loved it, so I guess that is what really matters.

I hope I explained this in a way that made sense. I really need to work on my picture taking skills. My pictures do not showcase my cards very well.

Tip- I used removable tape to hold everything together until I had everything completed the way I wanted it. That way I could see what it all looked like, but if I messed up it didn't ruin the whole project.

Have a blessed day!






Supplies: Stamps-Verve Anniversary Birds, Feeling Groovy, All About You, Asian Flair; Paper-Papertrey Spring Moss, Everyday Blessings, vellum; Ink-Palette Burnt Umber, Landscape, Colorbox Chalk Creamy Brown; Other-PTI Spring Moss stitched grosgrain ribbon, embroidery floss, cuttlebug tag, long rectangle nestibilities

Sad News

Bird Update:

I went out to check on the little baby bird this afternoon and he was no longer alive. It was so sad. I had to break the news to the kids and they were so upset. It was heartbreaking to watch them from such little babes and then to see one die. We were so hoping he would pull through. It was a great experience and so exciting to watch the lives of the birds. I just wish it didn't have to have a sad ending. Thanks to all of you who were interested in the birds and left comments.

TAC Tuesday

This card was made using Butterfly Swirls by The Angel Company. I stamped the images with Versamark on White Glossy paper. After it was dry, I swirled E-Z Walnut Ink Tintz in Rose, Verdigris and Denim all over it. I then stamped the sentiment in Palette Noir and added Fruit Punch Stickles to the flower centers in the swirls. I went along the edge with my Krylon gold leafing pen, then tied my ribbon. I matted it on Curious Poison Ivory and paper from the DCWV Old World Stack after lightly distressing the edges.
Bird Update: I am really worried about this bird. He doesn't seem to be growing and his brother flew away days ago. I hope he is okay.
Have a blessed day!





Supplies: Stamps-TAC Butterfly Swirls, Little Things; Paper-Curious Poison Ivory, DCWV Old World Stack, TAC Glossy White; Ink-Palette Noir, Versamark; Accessories-Walnut Ink Tintz, Stickles, ribbon(Offray), gold cord, charm(unknown), Heidi Swapp edge distresser tool, Krylon 18Kt gold leafing pen

Mousie Monday

Thanks for all the lovely comments and congrats on our wedding anniversary. I was so touched my them. We had a wonderful time this weekend. We really, really enjoyed the time alone together. My husband took me to P.F. Chang's for the first time. He has been there several times with his boss and has been wanting to take me. It was great! The food was so delicious and the atmosphere was really nice. We had fun shopping at the CKC convention and my husband found me some great stamps and punches. I will be sharing cards made with them soon.

This is a card I made for the Green color swap for the Best of House Mouse Yahoo Group. I used the Tin Can Showers stamp, colored with Copic markers and cut with rectangle nestibilities. I used Ranger glossy accents on the water drops, although you cannot see it in this picture, it has great dimension in real life.
Bird pictures coming later. I need to download them off my camera.

Have a blessed day!






Supplies: Stamp-House Mouse Tin Can Showers; Paper-PTI White, Summer Sunrise, DCWV; Ink-Palette Noir, Brushed Corduroy distress ink; Accessories-Copic markers, rectangle nestibilities, Ranger glossy accents, American Crafts glitter marker, ribbon (Michaels), prima flowers, brad, Fiskars threading water punch

I've been tagged!

Thank you Dragana (Happy Inker). I feel so very honored. The first person I thought to tag was her because she is always leaving me wonderful comments. I then realized that she tagged me first, so that wouldn't work. (I know it's Monday morning and I'm a little slow.)

The Rules:
1. Only 5 people allowed.
2. 4 have to be dedicated followers of your blog
3. one has to be someone new or recently new to your blog and live in another part of the world.
4. you must link back to whoever gave you the award.

I've only been blogging for about a month, so I am not sure how many "dedicated followers" I have. I have been extremely touched by every comment that has been left on my blog. Thank you to everyone that has commented.

I choose...
Chris (Blessings Ink) Chris is my upline and has been tremendously supportive. I think we both started blogging at about the same time. She has some great cards on her blog, check it out.
Bensarmom (Trusting in the Lord for all Things)--she makes some really cute cards
Inkin' Creations--love her digital pages
Niki Meiners Blog--she has a really great mix of things on her blog
Card Making Galore--is from Malta and makes the cutest Penny Black cards

Thanks for all the comments ladies. I appreciate them very much.