Wow, Is She Ever Coming Back?

Hi guys! Did you think I left and never came back? Can you ever forgive me? I have been so busy getting my new Stampin' Up! business off the ground that I just haven't had time for my "therapy" cards. Ya know...the cards that I make for my much needed relaxation therapy. Haha! Anywho, I stopped by today with an Easter card I made a while back. It is listed in my Etsy shop as well. Wanna see?

As you may know if you stop by here more than once, I ADORE the Sugarplum images. Emma with her little basket is just too precious so she was my first choice for cute Easter cards this year. She is accented by the new Basic Grey line called Kioshi. I have to admit that the whole collection of papers did nothing for me when I saw it in a magazine weeks ago. When i saw it in my local Archiver's, I almost didn't recognize it! The colors are so much prettier in person. I think it is hard to get a feel for the scale of the patterns when you see it in an ad too. Anyway, I like how they work here. Emma is printed on a pale taupe card stock from Hobby Lobby. Stark white just didn't give me the right feel with that Basic Grey.

I have to run for now. I am judging a math tournament for my son's math club tonight so I have some things to get done before the start of Spring Break Friday morning. Oy! It is here already! They will be out of school before I know it! Have a great Easter weekend if I don't make it back before then. Happy Spring!

Papers- Basic Grey Kioshi Sayuri; Bazzill Jetstream CS; DCWV CS. Stamps- ATS digi image Easter Basket Emma; Stampendous happy easter. Inks- Tim Holtz Distress milled lavender & pumice stone. Tools- Sizzix lg floral flourishes emb folder; SU scallop border punch; sanding block; marvy clever lever 2.5" circ punch; EK paper shaper leaf punch; SU mat pack and piercer. Embellishments- MM 5th Ave brads; misc buttons; crochet flowers; DMC #3042 pearl cotton. Pens- Copics (YG13, YG11, E02, E31, E33, E35, W5, V01, V000, V12, B52, B91. SU- Sahara Sand marker.

After Christmas Thank You Notes

Howdy! I have a question for you. Have you written your thank you notes yet? Do you even write thank you notes? Do your kids (if you have them)? Do you get thank you notes for gifts you send? Just for the record...I DO send thank you notes and I make my children do so too. I worry that it is becoming a lost art though. I just don't get very many thank you notes these days. I am not talking about the informal gift exchanges that take place among friends and you thank them in person. I am talking about the situatiuons that require an actual acknowledgement of a gift...those times when the giver is not present for a gift to be opened.Oh well, all these questions bring me to my card for the day. Since I do send thank you notes, especially after the holidays, I usually make a few styles and sell what I don't use personally. You wanna see one? Take a look...

Here's a detail shot so you can get a better look at the embellishments:

And finally, the inside of my card...

I had a lot of fun with this card. I tried layering my snowflakes kinda like the Spellbinder Create-A-Flake dies and I like how it looks. I have since ordered the snowflake dies and they are fabulous. I think they would even make nice tree ornaments.

My image is a digi image from All That Scraps called Winter Bear. I ordered it last year and couldn't wait to use it again this year. The teddy bear reminds me of a monkey. He has the cutest face! My sketch is from Sketch Saturday #65 posted originally on 8-26-09. My outer sentiment is stamped. I know I have been printing my sentiments a lot lately but this one is done the old fashioned way. However, I did finish the inside of the card with a printed message. I feel like printing my own in a font/color of my choice often makes the card though.

If you have any questions about this card or others, I will always answer emails about my work. The supply list is below and should fill in the gaps for you though. Have a great day!

Papers- Kaiser Fun in the Sun Frisbee; misc CS by DCWV. Stamps- ATS winter bear digistamp; Hero Arts Small Greetings. Inks- SU real red classic. Tools- MS lattice edge punch; EK 6 petal flower punches; QK Rev snowflakes & flourishes dies; EK circle punches; MS snowflake punch; CB snowflake die (2x2); Marvy mini snowflake punch. Embellishments- MM stitches (ocean); Fav Findings buttons. Pens- Copics R85, RV29, YR68, Y17, B16, B000, E44. Sketch- Sketch Saturday #65. Font- Abadi MT Condensed 16pt.

Making Spirits Bright

Hi folks! I am in a huge hurry today. Today is my second to the last day of work and it will be a humdinger so I am going in early to get my ducks in a row. Just wanted to show you a quick card though. We are almost out of time to show Christmas cards so I wanted to fit it in. Here ya go...

It uses a digi image from All That Scraps, obviously a fav of mine. My papers are Imaginisce. I touched up the berries on the wreath with a little red stickles and the trim is a Martha Stewart edge punch. I printed the sentiment on my computer (cheri 12pt). The inside is balnk for now but I will add some embellishment using my scraps before I give it to anyone.

Can you forgive if I duck out of here quickly? I'll be back this weekend though. I want to finish up my holiday cards that you haven't seen yet. Have a great weekend!

Deck the Halls Trevor

Hidee ho, neighbors! It is Friday. Hoo-RAH! It is going to be a lovely weekend. It finally turned winter here in GA and I am looking forward to some hanging out time with my family and it better involve some cocoa and cider alongside our fireplace. Of course, I have to work in the middle of those bursts of family time. Oh well! The December credit card bills won't pay themselves, right? How about a card really quick? Let's forget about finance charges and interest rates for a minute and take a look.

And don't forget the sentiment inside...

Please excuse my fingers in the photos. It was terribly windy here when I took my pictures. I almost lost the card off my deck twice. Little Trevor would have been pretty chilly if he landed in a puddle, huh? He is so cute! I wasn't lying when I told you a long time ago that I just can't quit on using the CC Designs Sugarplums images. I think they are some of the cutest little kid images out there. I love every one. I also love that they come as digi images. I can resize and have them in my possession as soon as they are released.

I colored Trevor with Copics and accented with a little Sakura gelly roll in silver. The sentiments, both inside the card and the front, are printed on my computer. The DP is some older stuff by Deja Views in the Sharon Ann collection. It is a baby boy themed group but the prints I chose are just basic colors and geometric prints. I felt like it worked really well here.

I think I am almost done making holiday cards. I still have lots of stamps and papers I wanted to use this year but my card pile(s) have grown to ridiculous proportions. Maybe I need to put it aside til next year and replenish the birthday and thank you note piles, KWIM?

Whatever cards you are working on lately (if you do that sort of thing) make them something fun. Grab a little time for yourself this weekend too. I know I will be sitting in my office after work this weekend for sure. Just enjoy yourself whatever you do! Bye for now!

Papers- Deja Views Sharon Ann My Precious Boy Big Dots & Little Dots; SU Wild Wasabi; Paper Co Ming Blue. Stamps- ATS Sugarplums digi image Ornament Trevor. Tools- EK circle punches (1 1/8, 1 1/4, 1 3/8in); SU ticket corner punch. Embellishments- American Crafts ribbon; Making Memories silver button brads. Pens- Copics (E37, E35, RV11, E00, RV29, B23, B39, B21, E49, E44, G28, G21, G24, C3, blender 0); Sakura Silver Gelly Roll. Font- CAC One Seventy (16, 18, 20pt).

PS: I have gotten a few emails lately asking me if I still sell my creations in an Etsy shop. Of course! Sometimes it may take me a little bit to get things from here listed on Etsy but if there is something in particular that you are interested in, I can hurry and get it listed just for you so please ask. In addition to the many things I show here prior to listing, I list several other items in my shop too so please visit and check them out! If you end up ordering, drop me a note to tell me you stopped by here first and I will throw in a treat with your order. :)

Merry Merry Merry!

Hi guys! TGIF, huh? I couldn't be more ready for a weekend if I tried. I have some great new cards to show you this weekend too so drop in every day. Today's card will kick off a run of several Christmas and winter themed cards. Tis' the season, right? I used an older digi image but since she is still freaking adorable I didn't think anyone would mind. Have a look...

Isn't she precious? I was happy to finally cut into my Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses too. Every time I have pulled it out this season, it just didn't work with my project. For this, it clicked though. My sketch was from Mojo Monday # 113. That was one of those weeks where there was simply no time to play along so I filed it away. It really works well with this image IMHO.

That cute little snow bunny is a digi image from All That Scraps. As y'all know, I never really get tired of those "mouthless little kids" (as my family refers to them LOL). They have evolved over time and just keep getting cuter. Every new release, I wait anxiously to see what is new and I am never disappointed.

Well, I am off to work again. I'll be working every day but I still have a small backlog of work to show you here so be sure and visit during your chilly weekend. Bye!

Papers- SU Soft Sky and Ultrasmooth white; Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses (thin ice, glazed apple, & snow globe). Stamps- ATS snow bunny digi image; Rubber Stampede Merry Merry Merry, Inks- Memento Tuxedo Black. Tools- Marvy scalloped circle punch (1 3/8in) & 1 1/4in circle punch; SU scallop edge punch. Embellishments- American Crafts ribbon. Pens- Copics (E00, E02, E21, E57, R59, G24, B00). Skecth- Mojo Monday #113.

You Are Bewitching, Ma'Dear!

Hello, hello! I can't wait to show you today's card. It is a challenge card and it uses another adorable digi image from All That Scraps. I'll just go ahead and show you and tell you about it in a minute. Take a look!

And the inside...



Isn't she darling?! I am having such a good time with all these precious fall images. Every one is cuter than the one before it and I still have a couple I haven't even used yet. I can't even imagine how cute the Christmas and winter images will be!

So, down to business! My card uses sketch #SC245 from Splitcoast. It is a really nice sketch for a tall, somewhat narrow image. This card also fulfills a challenge. Verve stamps has a new release coming up this Friday night and they have offered up 5 different challenges for all of us challenge junkies. Each one is hosted by a different person and they offer something for everyone to play along with and enjoy. The one I played with first was Jackie Pedro's distress challenge. I used a couple of Tim Holtz distress inks and added a little around the edges of the rust colored panel as well as the witch image panel. See below for the colors I used.

I printed my sentiment on the computer but I don't remember where I got the idea for the wording. It might have been from the ATS fall sentiments set which I don't own yet but my notes didn't have a source (oops!) and I forgot to go look before I started writing here. As long as you know it is not some little jewel that flew out of my brain creativity puddle, I guess we are cool, huh?

I think I'm off for now. I start back to my part time employment this weekend and it is time to get ready. Have a great day!

Papers- MME Boo to You Monster Mash & Midnight Stars; Daisy D's Traditions Antique Black. Stamps- ATS witch emma digi image; Hero Arts Halloween Greeting. Inks- Tim Holtz black soot and tea dye distress inks. Tools- MS emb zig zag edge punch; EK circle punches. Embellishments- favorite findings buttons; DMC #6139 embr cotton. Pens- Copic (E00, E02, RR08, E09, YG03, W00, 110); Sakura clear glitter pen. Sketch- SC245.

Pick of the Patch

Good morning! Super quick post today and I will drop in later to update my supply list. Today's card uses another one of those adorable ATS digi images from their recent release. Take a look...

My sketch came from the Friends of Flourishes blog and is #FTTC32. They had a great prize drawing with this challenge but I didn't get mine posted in time. Too late once again! It is a great sketch to work with though. My DP is a really old pattern paper by Lucy Rigg. Talk about blast from the past! I printed my sentiment on my computer but the idea came from ATS's fall sentiment set which I will be buying very soon.

I'll be back later to give you my supply list. Have a great day!

Ooh! New Digi Images from All That Scraps!

I don't know when I have been so excited about a release in the stamping/scrapping world as I was to see the new releases from All That Scraps. I thoroughly enjoyed the blog hop of sneak peeks and those talented girls on the design team did a beautiful job of showcasing the new images. Last night when they went live, I was there with my credit card in hand, ready to buy as many digi images as I could manage. I still want more but unless pennies fall from heaven, I am waiting a while. However, the ones I did buy are already made into cards which I will be showing you this week. Today's card uses one of the cutest. Take a look...
The last photo is of the inside of the card as you could probably figure out for yourself. LOL! I apologize for the blurry shot on that last one. I didn't check my photography until I had lost my good outside light. Oh well! You get the idea I bet. So, whadaya think? That kitty colors like a dream, as do all the CC Designs images at ATS. I used a new Bo Bunny Halloween paper for the background. I was worried about the weird shades used in that line of paper but Copics made it easy to color my image to match just right. I decided that the kitty's bat costume needed a splash of color for this card (after coloring one in all black) so it is lined with what we will imagine to be green satin. Haha! That great ribbon came from some of the new fall ribbons at Hobby Lobby. I was tickled to see both a green and an orange with black polka dots just in time for Halloween projects . Since you can't beat their sales, I bought them both.

My sketch is another great one from Mercy Kerin. I have been having a lot of fun with her Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenges. I just started noticing them a few weeks ago and they are always great sketches to play with so it is no accident that I am posting cards using them 2 days in a row. Sometimes, I see other sketch challenges that are a little "out there" and I wonder just how much the designers are trying to stump us. Not the case with Mercy!

Since this is another late night post, I am leaving you with my supply list and a smoochy good night kiss. Have a great day tomorrow. It's hump day dontcha know!

Papers- Bo Bunny Boo Crew Goblins. Stamps- ATS Halloween candy Kitty digi image. Tools- QuicKutz polka dots emb folder; MS cornice edge punch; EK 1.25in circle punch; spellbinder blossom die. Embellishments- MM halloween brads; green/black polka dot ribbon by ribbonfx; favorite findings buttons (bats). Pens- Copic E04, RV11, YG09, YG07, YG06, YR04, Y38, N1, N3, N5, C7, 110, 0). Sketch- MTSC38. Font- Whackadoo 20pt (outer) and 22pt (inner.)

More Back to School Fun

Hello friends! I have a little something new to show you today. I made another back to school card and I used one of the adorable new C.C. Designs digi-images available from All That Scraps. They have introduced an adorable little girl named Kiki La Rue and she is wayyyy too cute. There are 3 different styles of Kiki images and today's is Shy Kiki. Have a look-see...

And the inside of the card...

I played around just a bit with the image after printing and added a stamped apple from another set to make her more "schoolish." I absolutely love her little skirt and her chacha braids. Isn't she precious? I came up with several ideas for this image so you will be seeing her here again real soon. The sentiment is printed on my computer.

I thought this would be a great card for a sweet little girl starting back to school this fall. I had my little princess in mind but she is already back to school so I will listing this card in my Etsy shop very soon.

Well, our week is more than half over. A weekend is just around the corner. Yay! Everyone have a great end of the week. Thanks for stopping by!


Papers- Doodlebug elementary doodles and primary kaleidoscope. Stamps- SU Basket Full of Fun; ATS shy kiki digi image. Inks- Graphite Brilliance. Tools- EK circle punches. Embellishments- Favorite Findings buttons; DMC #6135 emb cotton. pens- Copic (R29, Y38, G09, E00, E02, E31, Y28) Zig (pure blue). Font- kids 16pt.

An Apple For Teacher

Even though my children are long since back in school, I know that most of the country is still out school shopping and making plans for Labor Day. I decided that maybe a few of the extra teacher cards would be a nice addition to my Etsy shop as well as an applicable post for here. Today's card is another one of my entries for the Anni-Verve-Sary Sketch Challenge on the Verve forum a few weeks ago. I think it is the only one I haven't already posted here too. I used these for my kids' teachers after the first week of school. Take a look...

That cute little back to school puppy image is a relatively new digi-image from All That Scraps and the sketch is #AVS202. I printed the sentiment on my computer so it would fit just right in a small circle at the top of the oval. When I was designing this card, I tried a plain red cardstock panel behind the image but it needed a little something so I made my own designer paper by stamping abc's in versamark ink all over the red cardstock. I like the effect. I almost never use that very common technique and I can't imagine why because I love it here. Another point to mention is the blue background. Notice the polka dot texture? Like it? It is one of the new QuicKutz embossing folders. I am very happy with the few I have so far because they are full A2 size instead of the slightly smaller original Cuttlebug folders.

Well, I think I'll go for now. Groceries need to be purchased and beds need changing so it is time to get the new week started. Have a great Monday for yourself!

Papers- Autumn Leaves Paper Charming; Gina K pure luxury 80# CS; SU Kraft CS. Stamps- ATS digi image "school puppy"; ScrapTrends alphabet soup lowercase. Inks- versamark. Tools- QuicKutz Polka Dots emb folder; coluzzle ovals; corner rounder; EK circ punches. Embellishments- favorite findings mini natural buttons; DMC #823 embr cotton. Pens- Copic (Y28, R59, R37, W1, B97, G94, RV11, E57, 0. Zig (root beer float). Font- 16pt Parade. Sketch- Verve AVS202.