Pocketful of Paper

Wedding Wishes

2011-08-08T11:31:00.006-05:00

Wow, that was a long break from blog world. But a much needed one for me. I had gotten too overwhelmed with trying to keep up with my blog and other endeavors that I forgot about the fun in making cards and LOs. So I took a little break this summer from a lot of things and just concentrated on making my crafts just for me and no one else.

So, now that I am back I decided to share with you a wedding card since this is wedding season and all. A pretty simple card with the stamping and all but I added a little embossing for an elegant look. Looking at it now I wished I would have added a little glitter to the flower to make it pop more but still happy with it.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock, flower stamp, patterned paper - Papertrey Ink

sentiment stamp - LawnFawn

ink - Tsukineko

embossing folder - Sizzix

border punch - Fiskars

embossing machine - Big Shot by Sizzix

April PTI Blog Hop

2011-04-25T08:23:00.004-05:00

Hello there. I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Holiday with family and friends. We had a great day that started out with a great Easter morning service at church. Can't get any better than that.

Ya know, I used to really struggle with masculine cards...A LOT...but with the most recent release from Papertrey Ink I don't have to struggle any more. The new stamp sets they have are AWESOME!! Take a gander at all the great new stuff HERE. You won't be disappointed.

If you want to hop along on the PTI blog hop, start HERE.

Here is the first card I created as soon as my sets arrived. Just couldn't wait to ink them up, that is how much I love them. And with three boys of my own, these stamp sets will be of great use.

And I couldn't just stop at one card. This card was made for my nephew, I'm sure he will like it. It was so easy to make and the inspiration just flowed.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy hopping today!!

All supplies for both cards are from Papertrey Ink

etsy

2011-04-22T12:06:00.006-05:00

Hi everyone! Haven't been doing a lot of crafting lately with soccer in full swing and since we are the coordinators for it. But I did manage to add a few items to my etsy shop. You can click on the link on the side bar to view the new magnets I made.

I LOVE making magnets. Not only are they functional but they are so pretty hanging up on my frig. They are perfect for hanging important notes that you need to see on a daily basis. Trust me there are some things that if I don't have a daily reminder for them they are forgotten.

Sorry I haven't gotten crafty lately. I will be back soon and for sure on Monday for the Papertrey Ink blog hop. Love all the inspiration when they have those once a month and this months theme is all about masculine cards.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

Picture #1

patterned paper - Crate Paper

stamps, felt, button - Papertrey Ink

ink - Stampin' Up!

dies - Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!, Spellbinders

brad - Making Memories

Picture #2

patterned paper, letter stickers - October Afternoon

cardstock, stamps, button - Papertrey Ink

ink - Tsukineko

dies - Spellbinders, Papertrey Ink

Picture #3

patterned paper - Echo Park

cardstock, stamps, ink - Papertrey Ink

dies - Spellbinders

cork sheets - Quickutz

All magnetic sheets are from Quickutz

March PTI Bloghop

2011-03-25T12:48:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone. Is it really time for another PTI blog hop? I need to watch the days more closely because they are just slipping by me.

This month's challenge is to use embroidery floss in a creative way. I chose to use it as raindrops as the background of my card. Spring reminds me of lots of rain and tulips and so my card reflects this beautiful season.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps, felt, patterned paper - Papertrey Ink
ink- Papertrey Ink, Tsukineko (black)

floss - DMC

paper piercer - Stampin' Up!

corner rounder - EK Success

dies - Papertrey Ink (clouds), Quickutz (sun)

die cut machine - Big Shot by Sizzix

You are a Treasure

2011-03-14T13:56:00.003-05:00

Hi!! I was going through some of my pictures of projects I made and I stumbled upon this card that I realized I haven't posted yet. It isn't anything too spectacular but I loved how it turned out. Love the colors, the dress form with the ribbon for the skirt, everything.

The dress form is a die cut by Papertrey Ink and I cut out three dress forms and then adhered them all together to make it like thin chipboard (wanted something a little more stable). I covered the top of the dress form with patterned paper and covered the bottom with ribbon and then made a belt out of gems. So much fun to make.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock, die cuts, stamps, ink - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - October Afternoon, Making Memories
gems - Kaiser Craft

ribbon - Pebbles, Inc.

border punch - Fiskars

Take Me the Way I Am

2011-02-28T14:11:00.003-06:00

Got a LO done this morning, YAY!!! It seems like it has been forever since I've done a LO. Some pages can take me a couple days to hassle over because I do a little, come back, do a little more, come back, etc. And with a process like that I don't get too many LOs done. May need to revamp that style, not working so well.

So maybe hoping this page will get some scrapbooking juices flowing again.

I used some inspiration from my Creating Keepsakes magazine to make a LO using song lyrics. Loved that idea and it wasn't hard for me at all to pick a song. Have always loved "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson. It always reminds me of my husband and myself, we love each other and will do anything for each other no matter what.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - BasicGrey, October Afternoon (grid)

stamps - Stampin' Up!

rubons - American Crafts

chipboard hearts - Colorbox

border punches - EK Success, Martha Stewart

Cricut cartridges - Paper Lace, Straight From the Nest

PTI Blog Hop: Scallops

2011-02-25T11:25:00.004-06:00

Scallops. Have to love them. I love them on frames, borders, flowers, you name it, I love the look of scallops. So imagine my excitement when Nicole announced that this months PTI blog hop is all about scallops.

Loving the new background stamp that Dawn McVey created for Papertrey Ink. It looks good with anything. And that new royal velvet felt color is amazing and so vibrant.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

All items Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted

stick pins - Maya Road

gem - craft supply

Love You

2011-02-09T14:00:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone! I am loving all the inspiration I am having lately. I hope it keeps rolling for a while, I have a lot of crafty stuff to create.

Here is another PTI Make it Monday card. I went with a love theme for this one because I still had to make a card for my husband for Valentine's Day. Good thing he doesn't read my blog so I can post it on here. :o) If I have this much inspiration for the first week of Make it Mondays, I can't wait to see what is in store in the weeks to come.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps, twine, notebook die - Papertrey Ink

ink - Stampin' Up! (red, blue), Tsukineko (black)

border punch - Stampin' Up! (hearts), EK Success (scallops)

die cut machine - Big Shot by Sizzix

Celebrate

2011-02-07T14:22:00.003-06:00

Papertrey Ink is starting a new challenge, it is called Make it Mondays. Every week a Papertrey Ink designer will make a video that shows a new technique and our challenge is to try that technique. You can find all the information HERE. I don't know about you, but I am always up for learning new things. This should be fun!!!

For this weeks challenge, we had to make a collage of sentiments focusing on any one occasion. My collage is focused on a birthday celebration. I have never tried this technique before, but I must say, it was tons of fun and it made me look at all my stamp sets again. Just had to find the perfect sentiments to use.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted

border punch - Stampin' Up!

gems - craft supply

Happy Birthday to You

2011-02-06T18:59:00.003-06:00

Second card for the day. Wow, that is so unlike me. If you didn't read my last post, Papertrey Ink is having a challenge to use one of their free down loadable tags that the stamp designers created. A random winner is chosen to, get this, be a guest stamp designer for Papertrey Ink. Wow, talk about a dream come true. You can find out the details here. So cool!!

For this card I chose the tag that was created by Nicole Heady. LOVE the colors and design!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

All supplies are Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted

scalloped circle punch - Stampin' Up!

die cut machine - Big Shot by Sizzix

Celebrate You

2011-02-06T18:45:00.004-06:00

Hi Everyone!!! Back with another Papertrey Ink post. Another fun challenge today, you just have to create a card, tag, LO, etc. using one of the tags that you can download for free on Nicole Heady's blog. And the best thing about this, the random winner gets to help Nicole design a stamp set for Papertrey Ink. WOW!!! Wouldn't that be soooo cool?

For my card I used Maile Belles tag that she created. LOVE the pinwheels. Perfect for my birthday card that I made for my niece who is turning the big 1-3.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock, dies, tag download - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - October Afternoon, Papertrey Ink (yellow polka dot)

journaling card - October Afternoon

die machine - Big Shot by Sizzix

border punch - Stampin' Up!

Favorite Papertrey Ink Project for 2010

2011-02-05T09:59:00.003-06:00

If someone were to ask me who my favorite stamp company is, I wouldn't hesitate to shout out Papertrey Ink. And if you go and read this blog post by Nicole Heady, it is a small snippet of why they are so great. Not only are there great designers, including Nicole, who inspire me daily, but how generous could one company be to give away $700 worth of their product to one lucky winner. So by posting my favorite project for 2010, I can double my chances of winning. What are you waiting for, go enter yourself into this great drawing.

These cute rosebuds were inspired by Betsy Veldman. Told ya the designers were great with wonderful, innovative techniques.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

All supplies from Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted

hole punch - Stampin Up!

black ink - Tsukineko

scallop circle punch - Martha Stewart

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

2011-01-25T14:39:00.002-06:00

Wow, this is my very first Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. I am really enjoying looking at all the entries so far in the hop, loads of inspiration.

I love the challenge for this month, to break out a set we haven't used yet or to dust off one we have used but not for a while. When I glanced at my stamp sets I knew right away which one I wanted to use, Guide Lines. When I first got this set, I used it a lot but as I continued to acquire more PTI stamps, this stamp set was pushed back and I haven't used for over a year or more. Thanks for the challenge, I now have a new found love for my Guide Lines, and I think I will throw some Guide Lines 2 into the mix as well.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

All supplies Papertrey Ink except for circle and scalloped circle punch (EK Success)

Bloom and Grow Forever

2011-01-14T10:24:00.004-06:00

Hello!!! Here is a flowery card for you today. And I know looking at it you wonder how I would ever send it through the mail, and here is my answer, I don't. :) Sometimes I make cards just for the fun of it and this is one of those cards. I just felt like playing around with my stash of craft supplies and this is what I came up with.

I will say, it was nice to look through all that I own and see what I got because I came across this wonderful flower die by My Favorite Things that makes the flowers that you see on this card. You just simply cut your flower shape and then roll it up, I prefer to do it around a pen or pencil, and then I hot glue the end to the bottom of the flower and there you have it.

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - Echo Park

stamps - Papertrey Ink (sentiment)

dies - Spellbinders (scalloped circle), My Favorite Things (rolled flowers), Quickutz (leaves)

die cut machine - Big Shot by Sizzix

gems - craft supply

ink - Tsukineko

corner rounder - EK Success

Thank You

2011-01-05T08:28:00.003-06:00

Wow, welcome to the new year. Trying to get this year started off right with this Thank You card. Thanks for all the visits this past year and thanks for all your comments, you are the sweetest bunch of people out there.

This card is totally inspired by Dawn McVey. I love her style of cards and love that she can use very few product and still make her cards look wonderful. Give her a handful of Papertrey Ink and she can do wonders. And don't even get me started on her color combos, she has the best talent at putting colors together that you wouldn't maybe consider and make everything look wonderful. Can you tell she is my card making idol. :o)

Thanks for stopping by and I hope 2011 is a great one for you.

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps, felt, dies, button - Papertrey Ink

die cut machine - Sizzix Big Shot

floss - DMC

PreKindergarten

2010-12-28T13:55:00.002-06:00

Hi. Decided to share a LO with you today. I haven't been doing too much scrapping lately but I am hoping this page will jump start my desire to make more pages. I have so many pictures that need to be scrapped but if I could just tackle one LO a week, I should be caught up in no time. Can you say New Year's Resolution? That might be one I can actually keep up on. :o)

This LO is of my daughter from the 2009-2010 school year. We sent her to Pre Kindergarten instead of Kindergarten strictly because she was so young (just turned 5 before the school year started) and I wanted to capture this time in her life in a scrapbook page.

Gotta love that October Afternoon paper and those wonderful American Craft thickers. Be still my heart.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock, border punch, star punch - Stampin' Up!

patterned paper, stickers - October Afternoon

letter stickers, pen - American Crafts

Happy Birthday to a Great Friend

2010-12-16T09:56:00.003-06:00

Hi!! Is anybody else extremely busy from the hustle and bustle of Christmas? I know, you all are, dumb question, right? :o) Thanks to having a few go to cards that I created a while ago I am able to have a card to post for you today.

There is just something about butterflies that I absolutely love. I have tons of dies for them, punches, stickers, stamps, you name it. and this huge butterfly die by Stampin' Up! makes for a great focal image on a card or page. Don't even have to do much with it to make it stand out.

And don't you just love the colors of that Echo Park patterned paper? Such an addiction for me collecting their papers. Good thing is, at least I use them. :o)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!

patterned paper - Echo Park

butterfly dies, black twine - Stampin Up

label die - Spellbinders

stamp - Hero Arts (Sentiment)

ink - Tsukineko, Papertrey Ink (blue)

embossing folder - Cuttlebug

embossing and die cut machine - Big Shot by Sizzix

Masculine Happy Birthday

2010-12-11T22:21:00.004-06:00

Hi!! Have a masculine card for you today. Raise your hand if you have troubles making a masculine card. Thought I wouldn't be the only one. :o) I never make a masculine card unless one is needed for a birthday. I even avoid challenges that ask for masculine cards, although I did do this card for a magazine publication call. Obviously it wasn't picked up, and hence my troubles with these kind of cards. Blaah.

Even though this card wasn't picked up, I still like it anyway. It has the colors for a boy card, the design, and the stars help punch it up a notch. I guess I will keep on trying my hand at masculine cards and if I find the secret to creating a great one, I'll share my secret with you. :o)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - October Afternoon

stamps - Lawn Fawn (cake, sentiment), Papertrey Ink (background)

ink - Tsukineko

markers - Copic

Mini Christmas Cards

2010-12-01T10:50:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone. I have taken a short break from the blog and now I am back with a few mini Christmas cards for you. About a month ago, my neice asked a couple of my kids if their class could make some Christmas cards for troops overseas. They were more than happy to oblige and it got me in the mood to create some cards as well. I made a good amount but in order to make them all in time, I went with the mini card route. These cards all measure 3.5 x 4.25.

LOVE this color combo. Actually I just love the aqua mist color period. It is so pretty paired with many different colors.

Not sure if you noticed already, but in order to make these cards even simpler, I made tags first and then just stuck them on the card. So simple and quick and then just added a few details here and there and you're done.

Have a wonderful day!!

hi!

2010-11-08T08:15:00.003-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a three day weekend here since the kids had Friday off with parent-teacher conferences this week. And we were blessed with some nice weather to go with our great weekend.

I have a shaped card for you today. I don't do very many of these but I may have to start making more of them. To make this one I folded my cardstock in half and ran it through my die cut machine with my Spellbinder label die. But make sure the die sticks off the folded end some so you can keep the fold in the card. Easy peasy.

Wow, and not only did I do a shaped card but I didn't even do any stamping on this card. I must have been in some kind of mood that day. :o)

Hope you have a great week!

Supplies:

cardstock, buttons, twine - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper, letters, sticker - American Crafts

ribbon - prairiebirdboutique.etsy.com

label die - spellbinders

die cut machine - Epic Six by Quickutz

Happy Birthday

2010-11-01T08:49:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone. I have a girl birthday card for ya today. It was my neices birthday a couple of weeks back and she turned 14 so I wanted something girly for her but not too cutesy because she is a teenager. So I thought this was a happy medium for her card.

Don't you just love that Echo Park paper. One of my favorite paper companies. They never cease to amaze me with their beautiful designs and colors. I have been using them quite a bit lately and I think my other patterned papers are getting a little jealous. I guess at least I'm not hoarding it like I have been known to do with my favorite supplies. :o)

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper, letter stickers - Echo Park

border punch - Stampin' Up!

label die - Spellbinders

flourish dies - Quickutz

die cut machine - Epic Six by Quickutz

I Miss You.

2010-10-19T10:01:00.003-05:00

Hi!! Been really busy lately. We have finally wrapped up pop warner and jr. high football, but still going on with the high school football (hopefully all the way to state) and so that has caused quite a bit of my absence. But, start next week we have winter swim and basketball starting. I figured with my kids growing so fast, other things can wait. I'm sure you all understand so I will try my best to post more cards and LOs for ya when time permits.

At least I have a card for ya today. A simple one but fun to make. I just love using my die cut machine and totally LOVE Papertrey Ink dies. They are great, cut great, and so many wonderful designs to coordinate with their stamps.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Supplies:

cardstock, patterned paper, buttons, twine, dies (couch and label), stamps (couch, chair, sentiment) - Papertrey Ink

ribbon punch - Stampin' Up!

ink - Tsukineko (black), Papertrey Ink (purple)

So Cute

2010-10-07T10:38:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! I just had to pop in and share this LO that was totally inspired by Kelly Purkey and her first sketch in the Sketchbook 2 download. I don't ever download classes but when I saw that Kelly was offering the Sketchbook 2 class on her blog again, I just couldn't pass it up. Boy, was that the best decision I have made in a long time. I just know now that I will be patiently waiting for her next class to be offered because I am hooked now.

I have to say, this is a pretty simply LO, but I just love it to pieces. And it works perfectly for my vacation album. None of my pages in there are too time consuming, otherwise I would lose the motivation to complete it. I can't wait to use more of her sketches to help me finish this project.

Supplies:

cardstock, button, ric rac die - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper, cloud die cut, journaling card - October Afternoon (Road Map)

pen - American Crafts

letter stamps - Stampin' Up!

die cut machine - Cricut by Provocraft (Graphically Speaking cartridge - "cute" letters); Epic Six by Quickutz

ink - Tsukineko

border punch - EK Success

True Love

2010-10-01T10:11:00.003-05:00

Just a simple LO for ya today. I normally don't make 8.5 x 11 scrapbook pages but I had a idea to start a new album just for myself that has everything in it that is important to me and means the world to me. And someday whenever I should leave this world I will know that I put down all of my thoughts and feelings, happy and sad, that represent me. So my family will remember the real me whether it is 50 years down the road or 10. I only have a few pages done but am happy with the start of this album.

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink (kraft)

patterned paper - October Afternoon, Jillibean Soup (flowers)

journaling spot - October Afternoon

border punch - EK Success

buttons - Papertrey Ink

stickers - BasicGrey (flourishes)

letters - Jillibean Soup

pen - American Crafts

Embellish Paper Piecing Color Challenge

2010-09-21T13:12:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone. I have decided to do another Embellishmagazine.com color challenge. I just love the colors for this one and I love to paper piece. My scissors and I have a very close relationship. :)

For this challenge I knew I had to paper piece a flower, my favorite thing to piece together. It just brings the flower so much dimension making them feel more real. So first I stamped my image on green cardstock and cut that out for my leaves and then I stamped my image on yellow to cut out the flower part. I put it all together and this is what you get. And to even add more interest to the flowers, I added some glitter glue for a little sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps, ribbon - Papertrey Ink

pearls - Hero Arts

glitter glue - Ranger

ink - Tsukineko

border punch, corner rounder - EK Success

A Special Occasion

2010-09-07T20:27:00.003-05:00

Happy day after Labor day to ya!! So wished our labor day was like labor week. It was so nice having my husband home and spending time together as a family. Very far and in between these days since coaching takes up a lot of his time now until November. At least we had a wonderful weekend together.

Here is a card that I created that I submitted to a publication call and it didn't get picked up. It was for a vintage card. I have to admit, this is really my first vintage card that I made. I typically don't go that route but have to admit, it was fun to create. Loved all the inking I did to distress my card and flowers. Felt good to get a little inky. Hopefully this won't be the last vintage card I make.

Don't you love those flourish stamps? New stamp set released in August from Papertrey ink. New favorite, and dies to match, yum!!!

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps, ink, flourish dies - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - October Afternoon

flowers - The Paper Studio

gems - Kaiser Craft

beads - craft supply

label die - Stampin' Up! by Sizzix

die cut machine - Epic Six

Happy Anniversary

2010-08-31T08:18:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone. Wanted to share a card with you today that I made for my brother and sister-in-law for their anniversary. First of all, I love the Year of Flowers stamps from Papertrey Ink. They are perfect for anniversaries and sympathy cards. So elegant and sophisticated. This card is using the Year of Flowers: Larkspur. I had such wonderful ideas floating in my head about this card. I wanted just a section of the flower showing with the rest of it faded out in the background. And the best way I could think of to soften the background was vellum. Oooo, this is going to be cool. I was so excited to complete my project and ready to put my vellum on when I realize after I adhered it, it didn't quite turn out like I had anticipated. The vellum wasn't thick enough to have the faded look I was envisioning. Oh well. Still happy with the card but a little bummed my great idea didn't pan out.

You can see the vellum a little better with this view. At least you can notice it is there but not in the fashion I was hoping it to be. That is what we should all love about our wonderful craft. It is fun to try new things and even if they don't come out the way you want them to, we are all the wiser for it.

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps - PTI

color medium - Copic markers

label die - Spellbinders

die machine - Epic Six

brads - Making Memories

ink - Tsukineko

Embellishmag.com Color Challenge

2010-08-26T16:05:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone. It has been way too long since I have done a color challenge. This summer seemed to be full of everything and I didn't get a lot of the challenges done that I wanted to. But, when I saw that Lawn Fawn was sponsoring this color challenge, I just had to make the time to play along.

The theme is so perfect for this challenge sponsored by Lawn Fawn: quirky-cutesy-clean. All the words that describe them and their stamps. Who doesn't like quirky and cutesy. :o)

Glad I got a chance to play along and hop on over to embellishmagazine.com and check out all the entries so far, they are amazing.

Supplies:

cardstock - PTI

stamps - Lawn Fawn

hearts - Cricut cartridge Graphically Speaking

border die - PTI

felt - PTI

ribbon - www.prairiebirdbotique.etsy.com

embossing folder - Quickutz

ink - Tsukineko

corner rounder - EK Success

You are My Sunshine

2010-08-19T13:48:00.003-05:00

Needed a little sunshine for my day so I went back in my photo archives and came across this little sweetie smiling at me. This is my nephew, Noah, and he is truly this fun and happy and he brings sunshine to any day.

Since I haven't photographed my LOs and cards that I have piled up I decided to look back and find some old LO or card to post. So happy I did because I forgot all about this LO I did for my brother and SIL. I think I posted this in my family blog but that was before I created my crafty one. So this will be new for most and I hope you all get a smile out of it like it did for me.

I didn't put any journaling on this LO so his parents could fill it in as they wish. So, hence the journaling card that is sitting there blank. :o)

Have a wonderful Thursday!!!

Warm Winter Wishes

2010-08-11T14:24:00.002-05:00

Ahhh, just the sound of winter makes me cool off. After a long, cold winter I was so ready for summertime, but after these last consecutive days of heat indices over 100, I am ready for winter again. So funny.

Hopefully this card will help cool you off as well. I made this card for a recent submission call, but it wasn't picked up. I still love it though. It has cuteness written all over it.

When I think of winter, I think of snowmen. And as I was browsing through my Cricut Cartridges, this snowman from the DoodleCharms cartridge won my heart. He is just so cute and simple. For my card, I put him on a glittered snowy hillside out in the falling snow, also speckled with glitter.

Also, I created my card using the Storybook cartridge and I cut out two scalloped squares and adhered them together up top and tied it with ribbon for extra sturdiness.

Supplies:

cardstock, ribbon, stamps (polka dots, sentiment) - Papertrey Ink

Ink - Papertrey Ink, Tsukineko (black)

glitter glue - Ranger

die cut machine - Cricut by Provo Crafts (DoodleCharms, Storybook cartridges)

Make a Wish

2010-08-09T10:25:00.005-05:00

Hi all. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It is hard to believe that summer is coming to a close soon. Kids start school on the 25th so we have to make the best of their two and a half weeks left of their summer.

Speaking of summer, I just had to take a "Walk in the Park" with my new collection from Echo Park. The colors are so inviting and the patterns are great. Echo Park is my new love, have all of their lines so far that Two Peas in a Bucket carries. Go check them out HERE.

And don't you just love that cake. That cake is from my favorite stamp set by Lawn Fawn. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that I can build my own cakes and make them however I want. Awesome set. Check the set out HERE.

Have a great week!

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - Echo Park

stamps - Lawn Fawn

ink - Tsukineko

alpha stickers - American Crafts

glitter glue - Ranger

Friend

2010-07-15T10:44:00.003-05:00

This card was a little different for me. There is absolutely no stamping at all on it. That is a rare occasion but it turned out to be a fun one.

There was a submission call for friend cards and I remember my stash of Blue Skies paper by American Crafts and there is this great patterned paper that is full of words people use to address their friends. Perfect!! My card centered around this paper and I just took off from there. Love how something so simple as a piece of paper can turn into a card that is so much more than just a few words.

This card is really simple, but I think it is one of my favorites. And if you would like to check out this awesome set of patterned paper by American Crafts, just click HERE.

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - American Crafts, Papertrey Ink (pink grid)

bird embellishment - American Crafts

border punch - Stampin' Up!

label die - Papertrey Ink

corner rounder - EK Success

die cut machine - Epic Six by Quickutz

Water Lovin

2010-07-12T13:29:00.002-05:00

Hi all. Got a layout for ya today. I really need to get more on the ball with my scrapbooking. I have been concentrating on my cards so much lately that my photos have been neglected. So to get my creative juices flowing again for scrapping, all I needed was some awesome patterned paper and a sketch. I typically don't use sketches, but I have found lately that it really helps me to get my pages done quicker and so I can do more in less time. So, I think sketches right now are my new friends. And what's great about sketches is that you can take any part of it to inspire you or all of it. Love the freedom.

Here are some photos from a trip we took last year to Minneapolis for Regional Swim. We always have to have a hotel with a pool. All our free time is spent in the pool and the kids are as happy as can be. Happy kids = happy parents!!

Tried my hand at making my own flowers. Eh, they are OK. Not quite a pro yet like many a handmade flowers I have seen. I'll keep working on them though and find a style that suits me.

Supplies:

cardstock - Bazzill, Papertrey Ink (yellow)

patterned paper - October Afternoon

stamps - Papertrey Ink

ink - Tsukineko

pen - American Crafts

letter stickers - American Crafts (large blue), October Afternoon (small black)

stickers - October Afternoon

gems - Doodlebug Design

border punches - EK Success

Sympathy Card

2010-06-28T15:44:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! We are back from vacation and let me tell you, we had a wonderful time. We went along the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota and it was absolutely beautiful. Loved every minute of it and a great time together as a family.

So, since I have been gone, I don't have a recent card for you but I do have an older one for you that I did for a submission call but it wasn't picked up. The call was for a sympathy card, and for these kind of cards I like to keep them simple. I usually always put some kind of flowers on the card because they make me think of peaceful things, and we all want reminders of that when a loved one has passed away.

This daffodil stamp is from Papertrey Ink from their year of flowers stamps. Every month Nicole Heady introduces a new flower for that particular month and this flower was from the month of March. You can view it HERE.

Supplies:

cardstock, patterned paper, stamps, ribbon, scalloped border die - Papertrey Ink

ink - Tsukineko

gems - Kaiser Craft

markers - Copic

All Star Dad

2010-06-18T21:32:00.003-05:00

Happy Weekend Everyone!! I figured since Curt never gets on my crafty blog I am OK to post his Father's Day card on here a little early. I am going away this weekend for a girl's weekend but I wanted to make sure to post my card.

I always put a lot of thought and love into the cards I make Curt. Even though he loves all my creations (being the awesome husband that he is) I still want to make stuff extra special for him. When I thought about his card I new it had to be sports oriented since that is so him, an all around athlete. I normally go with the lovey dovey stuff but this one was all about what he loves most besides his family. So, I hope you all think this card is super because that is how I think of him. He is super Dad, super Husband, and just a great all around person. Love him with all my heart and couldn't have picked a better man to be the father of our children and the love of my life.

For the pennant I made I had to use Hawkeye colors in it since he bleeds black and gold for his beloved team. And lately I have seen a lot of loose string being used to connect buttons and other embellishments and so I had to try it and I love the ending look, kind of a carefree and casual feel.

I hope all the Fathers have a wonderful day on Sunday.

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps, buttons - Papertrey Ink

twine - Stampin' Up!

ink - Papertrey Ink, Tsukineko

letter stickers - American Crafts

Two Wheelin

2010-06-16T09:45:00.003-05:00

Got a layout for ya today. This one is of Riley trying to ride without training wheels. When she was four she thought that she was ready to ride without training wheels, but come to find out, she wasn't. So we put the two wheelin aside for a year and come this spring Riley was bound and determined to ride with only two wheels. And there must have been some sort of feeling in her that knew she was ready because once she got on her bike she took off on her own and she was riding like a pro. AAhhh, sweet success.

Photos are from last year on this layout. But, I updated the journaling to this year to explain the whole story.

Love those craft butterflies that I cut out of Jillibean Soup Paper. And also have to love those flair badges from American Crafts.

Have a wonderful day!!

Supplies:

kraft - Stampin Up!

patterned paper - Jillibean Soup

badge and rubon - American Crafts

letter stickers - Pink Paislee

pen - American Crafts

For You

2010-06-13T21:37:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine was very uneventful. It is actually the only weekend we have free for the next 7-8 weeks. So, a little bummed that it rained most of the weekend, but good family time.

I don't know about you, but I never think of decorating the insides of my cards. I went ahead a tried it out and loved the end result. It does make the card quite a bit thicker if you are sending it through the mail, but oh such a fun thing to do if you have the extra time.

Once I picked my color combo I just went with it. Just added stuff here and there and loved making my word background. That took some time stamping all of that but love the overall look of it on the card. The letters I used to stamp are from the new stamp set by Lawn Fawn called Harold's ABCs.

Isn't it cute to open up this card and see the decorations inside as well? I may have to make more of these kinds of cards.

Hope you have a wonderful week!!

Supplies:

cardstock, ribbon, felt, flower dies patterned paper - Papertrey Ink

stamps - Lawn Fawn

letter stickers - Jillibean Soup

brad - craft supply

border punch - Martha Stewart (half daisy), EK Success (flower chain)

corner rounder - EK Success

Trying to keep at it...

2010-06-09T09:02:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone. I am trying to keep at my blog for all of you followers, but I am failing miserably. Sorry for that. :(

But, at least I bring a new card for you today. I just made this card for a recent family anniversary. I always try my best to make the card part masculine and part feminine, best of both worlds I guess. So I try to go with colors that are soft with a punch of bold. My soft in this case is the aquamist color and my punch of bold is the pure poppy red.

Don't you just love that stamped border towards the bottom of the card? My new favorite background building stamp from Papertrey Ink called A Little Argyle. So many neat things you can do with this stamp set. The other stamp set I used is from the anniversary set that Papertrey Ink sends out free to their customers if they purchase 12 or more stamp sets in a year. I far exceeded that number, can't get enough if their stamps.

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps - Papertrey Ink

ink - Papertrey Ink, Tsukineko

pen - American Crafts (white)

label die - Spellbinders

metallic gems - Hero Arts

Hey Buddy, Happy Birthday!

2010-05-24T08:21:00.004-05:00

How about a boy card for ya today. I have to say, I hate making masculine cards, but if they are for young boys, it isn't so bad. You can get a little fun and cutesy with them which makes it all the better to create.

I am using a THIS fun stamp set from Papertrey Ink. What little boy doesn't like airplanes. I could get a lot of use out of this stamp set. And with this stamp set you get the choice of coloring an airplane image or go with the solid one. Love options.

Have a wonderful, warm week!!

Supplies:

cardstock, twine, felt - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - October Afternoon

stamps - Hero Arts (Happy Birthday sentiment), Papertrey Ink (polka dots, plane, Hey Buddy banner)

ink - Tsukineko (black), Papertrey Ink

circle cutter - Creative Memories

border punch - EK Success

corner rounder - EK Success

Love-Hate Relationship

2010-05-20T08:56:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone. I don't know how to apologize for not posting for the last 3-4 weeks. I have been having a love-hate relationship with my computer lately. I love all the vast knowledge a computer can give me, but I have been hating spending too much time on the computer lately. I only seem to get on to check a few sites and then I am off. I will do my best to try an post more crafty things for you, but they may be short and sweet. But we all know, it is really the pics we are all interested in, not my babbling. (wink, wink) :o)

Here is a card I created for the most recent CARDS October calls. And since I am posting this here, it wasn't picked up. The call was to use die cuts. And I used two different ones on this card. First is the die cut label by Collage Press and second is the chair which was die cut from one of the new Papertrey Ink dies. LOVE how it turned out on felt.

Supplies:

cardstock, ribbon, felt, die, stamps - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - October Afternoon

ink - Tsukineko

label - Collage Press

die cut machine - Epic Six by Quickutz

Ready for the Ball

2010-04-26T13:54:00.004-05:00

I have a new love, the Dear Lizzy line by American Crafts. I absolutely love all the wonderful designs on the patterned paper and the great embellishments to go with it. If you have a little girl, this line is a must. And for myself, only having one girl amongst three boys, this line really gets me into girly mode and I am already envisioning all the wonderful Riley pages I am going to complete with this line.

See that beautiful ribbon along the bottom of my page. I would so buy a 100 ft spool of this if I could. The best invention of decorative ribbon.

Also love the adhesive fabric sheets. I used a section of one to die cut and adhere to the inside of my butterfly. So fun to play with any many possibilities.

Enough of my enabling, and if you haven't gotten yourself some of this great line, what are you waiting for? :o)

Supplies:

cardstock - Bazzill Basics Paper

twine - Papertrey Ink

die - Butterfly by Sizzix exclusively for Stampin Up!

all other supplies - American Crafts

Best Wishes

2010-04-20T14:49:00.003-05:00

Wow, have I really been gone that long? So sorry. We are the town coordinators for our soccer program and had a house guest last week so I am so behind on my blogging. I couldn't stay away for long though. :o)

Here is a card I submitted to CARDS magazine that wasn't picked up. It was for their Happy Birthday call. I was dying to use my new flower dies from Papertrey Ink so they made their way onto this card. I love all of their dies and they cut so smoothly and I have also cut PTI felt with them and it comes out beautifully. You may want to take a gander HERE if you don't own any PTI dies yet, just sayin'!!! :o)

Hope you have a wonderful day!!

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps, buttons, dies - Papertrey Ink

ink - Papertrey Ink, Tsukineko

border punch - EK Success

Birthday Party Invites

2010-03-30T09:24:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone. Sorry for the absence, we have been gone some and I haven't had a chance to post since last Monday. But I am back with you today with three cards for ya. I was asked to make some birthday invites for my niece and so I made three different ones and thought it would be fun for her to pick her favorite. And here is her number one choice (the card below). And secretly, it was my favorite one too. She has good taste. :o)

I used one of my favorite companies to make this card, Cosmo Cricket. I love their new paper line, Garden Variety. So full of yummy goodness. The stamped image is from Stampin' Up! and I just paper pieced the frosted top to that cupcake. And of course it can't go unnoticed one of the best border punches ever, the loops edger punch by Martha Stewart.

My son picked this one as his favorite. The colors really pop off the card on this one. The stamps I used are from Hero Arts titled Elephants. I love that big elephant in that set, so easy to cut out and looks really cute too stamped on patterned paper if you want to spice it up a bit. And of course in true Julie fashion, I had to use another one of my favorite border punches by EK Success, the large embossed scalloped.

Here is the last card I made and I did another one of my loves, embossing. I love my embossing folders, they give just a touch of interest to a card without being distracting. The stamps I used for this card are also from Hero Arts, love that galaxy of stars stamp set by them.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great week!!!

Supplies:

Card 1

cardstock - Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!

stamps - Stampin Up! (cupcake), Cosmo Cricket (sentiment)

patterned paper - Cosmo Cricket

punches - Creative Memories (circle, square), EK Success (scalloped circle), Martha Stewart (loopy border)
die - Spellbinders

ink - Tsukineko, Papertrey Ink

Card 2

cardstock - Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!

stamps - Hero Arts

punches - Creative Memories (circle), Stampin Up! (small scallop border), EK Success (large embossed scallop border)

glitter glue - Ranger

ink - Tsukineko

die cut - Cricut cartridge Home Accents (sun)

Card 3

cardstock - Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!

stamps - Hero Arts

embossing folders - Cuttlebug

twine - Papertrey Ink

border punch - EK Success

ink - Tsukineko

Let's Play Ball

2010-03-22T08:15:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone. Back with another LO for you. I made this one a couple of months ago of Zach playing baseball. The picture was from last summer but pictures are always good for any time of the year scrapping. That is one of the things I love about crafting, it goes at your own pace and you can scrap anything your little heart desires, whether it is a photo from 40 years ago or a current one.

I have to admit, it is kind of rare for me to use stamps on my pages. I don't know why that is, but you think I would use stamps more because I have so many of them with my cardmaking. But, I had this idea with the star strip and knew I had the perfect stamp set to create it. I hope I use more stamps in the future, but if I don't, I'm OK with that because when I create a page I just go with what I feel. I never want to make myself use something because I think I should.

Supplies:

cardstock - Stampin Up!, Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - Cosmo Cricket

journaling spot - October Afternoon

stamps - Papertrey Ink

ink - Tsukineko, Memories

letter stickers - American Crafts

punches - Stampin Up! (label), Martha Stewart (scalloped circle), Creative Memories (small star), EK Success (large star)

Best Wishes

2010-03-17T10:20:00.003-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Although I am not one to celebrate the day, I did make sure my school bound kids wore a green shirt. I don't plan on pinching my two at home so they should be safe without green. :o)

I have a masculine card here for you. And I did the same for this card as I do for most of my masculine cards, I kept it simple. A little background effect, simple sentiment, and a little twill to pull it all together. I absolutely love that Upper Crest border punch for guy LOs or cards.

Enjoy your day and all that is green!

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps - Papertrey Ink

circle punches - Creative Memories

border punch - Fiskars

ink - Tsukineko

twill - craft supply

New Lawn Fawn Stamps

2010-03-14T11:42:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone, happy Sunday to you!! In case you haven't heard yet, there is a new stamp company out there that has the most wonderful stamps, Lawn Fawn. I recently purchased two of their stamp sets on their release day, March 10, and can you believe I already have them and have made two cards with them. Talk about fast shipping. A huge plus. Also their stamps are made in the USA. Another plus. AND... You wouldn't believe how wonderful the images stamp. The edges are crisp and clear, a stamper's dream. If you haven't checked out Lawn Fawn yet, click on the link above and check them out. You won't be disappointed.

Here is the first card I made. I love flowers and there are so many to pick from in this Petite Florals set. And what is also fun about these stamps, I get to use my copic markers. Bonus.

Here is the second card I made. I loved the kitty from the very beginning and knew he would be on my first card from this set. So cute. I am also in love with the tree from this set, Critters in the 'Burbs. All the images are great. This will be a great card for my niece, her birthday is coming up.

Thanks for stopping by!!! Have a great week, more daylight, that is always good!!!

Supplies:

Thanks card -

cardstock, ribbon - Papertrey Ink

stamps - Lawn Fawn

ink - Tsukineko

border punch - Martha Stewart

corner rounder - EK Success

color medium - Copics

Kitty card -

cardstock, twine - Papertrey Ink

stamps - Lawn Fawn, Inkadinkado (word bubble)

ink - Papertrey Ink, Tsukineko

border punch - EK Success

color medium - Copics

My Lil' Fish

2010-03-12T20:07:00.004-06:00

I figured it has been a while since I posted a scrapbook page so here you are. I made this one at the beginning of January. I go in spurts sometimes with my scrapbooking. If I feel the desire to make a page or two I go for it and get as much done as I can. But I don't push it if I don't feel like making a page because I will sit there literally for hours just trying to make it all work. I can make cards under pressure, but a lot harder for me to "make" myself do a scrapbook page. I used to only make scrapbook pages when I first started crafting and now look at me. I make one or less in a week now. Crazy. I still love to scrapbook but for now the small size of a card is appealing to me.

I love these little fish and I can't get enough of my Everyday Paper Dolls Cricut cartridge. It has everything in there. If you don't have the cart, you would be shocked at all you can create with it. One of my favs and my kids' because they like to make their own little people to play with.

Supplies:

cardstock - Stampin Up!, Papertrey Ink, Bazzill Basics Paper

patterned paper, date journal tag - October Afternoon

letter stickers - American Crafts

journaling sheet, rubon letters - Making Memories

gems - Hero Arts

border punches - EK Success

fish - Cricut by Provo Craft (Everyday Paper Dolls Cartridge)

Olympics of Stamping - Christmas Card

2010-03-08T14:24:00.002-06:00

Hi all. I'm back with my last card for the Olympics of Stamping Contest over at the Moxie Fab World Blog. Today is the last day to submit so I thought I would go out with a Christmas Card. I love making Christmas cards, and I love even more using nontraditional colors. I don't know that I have ever made a Christmas card with red and green as my main colors.

I was going to stamp a few of these pink ornaments and just cut them out and adhere to my card. But when I was stamping them on my cardstock, I thought that they fit so well stamping them in layers with the shape of the ornament that an idea was born for this card. I did cut out one of the ornaments but only to make the sentiment pop a little. It is amazing where ideas can come from when you are least expecting them.

Thanks for such a fun challenge, Cath!!

Supplies:

kraft cardstock - Stampin' Up!

all other supplies - Papertrey Ink

Embellish Magazine Color Challenge with Borders

2010-03-07T10:32:00.002-06:00

Back for another challenge with Embellish Magazine.com. When you look at these inspiring photos and see the yummy colors for this challenge, you just can't help but play along. I am seriously in love with these colors and I feel that spring has arrived.

My card is pretty simple but sometimes I can be in the mood for a fun, quick card. And being such a linear person, I was extra cautious to make sure everything was lined up just right. I can't stand uneven lines on my projects and it is so hard for me to tilt a design. Therapy may be in order. :) Someday I will be able to mess things up a bit because to be honest I get kind of jealous of crafty people who can do this and make their cards look fabulous. Kudos to all of you!!!

I hope you have a wonderful week!!!

Supplies:

cardstock, buttons, stamps, ink - Papertrey Ink

gems - Hero Arts

border punch - Stampin Up!

Spring is in the Air

2010-03-04T09:21:00.003-06:00

Nothing is better than the happy thoughts of spring. Even though we still have many inches of snow on the ground, I can't help but think of the colors of spring and everything being renewed. Just brings a smile to my face. Even now, the sun is shining and the temps are warming up, all is good.

Here is a springy card for you. The black doesn't really a spring color but I added for some boldness and to make the card pop a little more. And isn't that border awesome. I made that with my new scalloped border die from Papertrey Ink. They have three different scalloped sized to pick from.

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

stamps - Hero Arts (background of buttfly and card), Stampin Up! (sentiment)

twine - Stampin Up!

ink - Papertrey Ink, Tsukineko

die - Stampin Up! (butterfly), Papertrey Ink (scalloped border)

circle punchs - Creative Memories

Birthday Wishes

2010-02-28T21:32:00.004-06:00

Monday already! I was just getting used to my weekend, it stinks it always has to end.

Here is a card for the Olympics of Stamping contest. My fourth one so far. I'm sure I will slow down now that the weekend is over but I had the itch to keep creating and so I went with it. Any excuse to stamp, right?!?!

I don't know what happened to my pictures lately and I'm not a photo expert, but I can't seem to get rid of the blue tint to my first picture. It is bugging me and I wish I knew more about photography to help myself. My pictures usually never turn out like this, not happy. I hope you can still get the full effect of the colors in the picture below, that turned out a little better.

Thanks for stopping by and have fun creating this week.

Supplies:

cardstock, ribbon, ink, stamps, buttons, twine - Papertrey Ink

gems - KaiserCraft

embossing folder - Cuttlebug

embossing machine - Epic Six by Quickutz

corner rounder - EKSuccess

Happy Happy Birthday

2010-02-28T21:15:00.002-06:00

Wow, the weekend is almost over. But I will say that is was a lot of fun not having any plans and just spending time together as a family. We are back to busy next weekend, so I will savor this moment now.

Here is another card for the Olympics of Stamping Challenge over at the Moxie Fab World blog. So sorry for the poor picture. The is such a bright, cheery card but I couldn't get it to look that way in my photo. I think I bought almost all the new sets from the Papertrey Ink release this month. Here is another new one, Dot Spot, love the backgrounds you can create with this set. And that frame stamp and sentiment stamp (Fillable Frames #1), and die are also new at PTI. Fun!! Fun!!

This photo below is a little brighter but still not what I was hoping for with my picture. At least it was still tons of fun to make this card and I enjoyed every minute of it. And that is all it literally took for me to make it, minutes. Double bonus!

Supplies:

cardstock, stamps, ink, frame die - Papertrey Ink

circle punch - Creative Memories

scalloped punch - EKSuccess

die cut machine - Epic Six by Quickutz

Happy Birthday Card

2010-02-26T08:07:00.005-06:00

Happy Friday to you!! I am back with another card for the Olympics of Stamping Challenge at the Moxie Fab World blog. I love any excuse to stamp so this challenge is tons of fun!!!

For my card today I used the new Butterfly Dreams stamp set from Papertrey Ink. And anyone who knows me and my craftiness, I love to use butterflies. When I saw that this stamp was going to be released this month at PTI, I knew it would be mine. So many wonderful images and the sentiments are great too.

It is extremely rare for me to make a card this shape and size, but I wanted to try something different and I had the design already in my head and this size of card suited my ideas best. Of course, I used some of my new copic markers to color in the butterfly and isn't that border punch by Martha Stewart just the best, love it.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

cardstock, ribbon, stamps - Papertrey Ink

ink - Tsukineko

gems - Hero Arts

circle punches - Creative Memories

corner rounder - EKSuccess

border punch - Martha Stewart

The Olympics of Stamping Challenge

2010-02-24T13:55:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone. I am so happy to be able to participate in this Olympics of Stamping Challenge. Over at the Moxie Fab World Blog there is a great challenge going on where you could win a gold, silver, or bronze medal by creating mostly stamped cards in these five categories: Birthday, Christmas/Season's Greeting, Hello/Thinking of you, Thank You, and Love. Click HERE to check out the challenge.

My card is a Thank You card as you can see. I was so happy to use my new Year of Flowers: Violets stamp from Papertrey Ink. The stamp is big enough to cover a good portion of the card and it is so fun to color. Love IT!!

I love purple as a color by itself but to make cards with it is another thing. I have made very few of them but I really love this one. This card has a great springy feeling to it and I could really use some spring here in Iowa. I think that is why I like it so much, it helps me think of warmer days ahead, hopefully soon. :o)

Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a happy days ahead of you.

Supplies:

cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon, stamps - Papertrey Ink

marker - Copic

border punch - Fiskars

ink - Tsukineko

Caardvarks Sticker Challenge

2010-02-22T09:53:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone. It's the start of a new week and I am feeling like it is going to be a great one. The sun is shining, the snow is glistening, and all is calm. Even my kids are getting along, normally it isn't like that on Mondays.

Here is my card for the Caardvarks Sticker Challenge. All we have to do is use a sticker on our card and my present sticker is by EKSuccess. I just went with the colors of the sticker and designed my card around that. I love how bold and bright it turned out. Used two of my favorite punches on this card too. The loopy one is by Stampin Up! and the large scalloped on is by EKSuccess.

I have always wanted to do my sentiment on a banner like this, so I thought now was a good time to try it. Very happy with the results. Loving the added dimension to the card.

I hope you all have a great week!!

Supplies:

cardstock, patterned paper, - Papertrey Ink

stamp - Hero Arts

sticker - EKSuccess

punches - Stampin Up!, EKSuccess

ink - Tsukineko

Embellish Magazine Color Challenge: Celebrate Birthdays

2010-02-18T14:21:00.003-06:00

I am back to do another color challenge with Embellish Magazine. Loving the colors for this one and it is so wide open for what you can create. A lot of freedom for this challenge, loving it.

While I was looking through my stash for birthday themed products, I came across this cupcake from EKSuccess and I was so happy it fit into the color scheme. I knew right away it was going on my card and I just needed to come up with a few other elements to fill the card. So I got out my handy dandy border punch and started punching away, a girl can always count on her punches.

In the end, I loved the look of all the colors together. Such vibrant, rich colors and so fitting for a birthday card. Thanks for another great challenge.

Supplies:

cardstock, ribbon, stamp - Papertrey Ink

cupcake sticker - EKSuccess

circle, scalloped circle, and border punch - EKSuccess

pearls - Hero Arts

ink - Versamark

Caardvarks Wedding Card Challenge

2010-02-09T12:51:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone. Just popping in today to post my entry for the Caardvarks Challenge. The challenge is to create a wedding card and get this, the winner will get published in CARDS magazine. How awesome is that? So, I couldn't pass up on this opportunity. Check out the challenge HERE and all the amazing inspiration.

It was hard for me to pick colors for this challenge, there are so many possibilities. But since I knew I wanted to go with the Damask background for my card, I figured I would go with bold, elegant colors because that is what came to my mind with this background stamp. I heat embossed the sentiment and added a little bit of sparkle with my frame.

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!

stamps - Papertrey Ink (Damask Background), Hero Arts (Sentiment)

ink - Papertrey Ink, Versamark

embossing powder - American Crafts

glitter - Making Memories

flowers - Creative Memories

brad - BasicGrey

stick pins - craft supply

border punch - Stampin' Up!

WISH Tag

2010-02-02T21:58:00.003-06:00

I had made this tag for a submission request for a magazine, but it wasn't picked up so I am sharing it here with you today. I'm not one to make tags but I have to say it was a lot of fun. When you have such a small area to work with, you pretty much can't fail at making a tag look nice. Before I made this tag I had just bought the Stamping Solutions Cricut Cartridge and I fell in love the butterfly and wish sentiment, they just fit perfectly on this card.
And what is a girly card without a little glitter. I just had to spruce up that butterfly and so I added some stickles to it and around the circle. And for the sentiment, I really wanted to use white on white and to help it stand out more I embossed it with my Cuttlebug embossing folder. Love the end result and hope to use this tag on a gift for a really special little girl very soon.

Supplies:
cardstock,button, twine, ribbon - Papertrey Ink
glitter - Stickles
embossing folder - Cuttlebug
die machine - Cricut
cartridge - Stamping Solutions

Caardvarks Red Heart Challenge

2010-01-28T11:00:00.004-06:00

Ya know, I have been lurking for way to long at Caardvarks and I have now finally decided to try their newest challenge, the Red Heart Challenge. We have to make sure we incorporate the color red and a heart into our card. So, I just made sure I had a red heart, couldn't make it much simpler on myself. :o) If you want to check out the challenge go HERE for the post. Believe me, you will love what all the designers created for this challenge. Always tons of inspiration at Caardvarks.

I have never used scor-tape before and I don't know now what took me so long. I absolutely love how easy it is to adhere glitter to your cards and pages. Just put the scor-tape where you want it, dump some glitter on top, and pat down to make sure it is secure and there you have it. So easy and love the end result. If you are interested in some, THIS is where I got mine.

Supplies:

card stock, stamps, ink - Papertrey Ink

glitter - Making Memories

embossing folder - Cuttlebug

Hello Baby

2010-01-26T09:01:00.004-06:00

I sure love me some October Afternoon paper and sometimes I just really have to play with it. This card is for no one in particular, I was just inspired by this Ducks in a Row line to create this baby card. Don't know what I will do with the card, but it sure was a lot of fun to make.

And with this card, I got to do one of my favorite things as a crafter; use my scissors. I cut out those ducks by hand and loved every minute of it. Those cutterbee scissors are so awesome for detailed cuts. And see that pink label behind the ducks, one of my favorite stamp sets by Papertrey Ink, Vintage Labels. Ya know, I think I say that a lot with their stamps, but I truly love them all.

Supplies:
card stock, stamp, ribbon, ink - Papertrey Ink
patterned paper - October Afternoon
journaling spot - October Afternoon
letter stickers - American Crafts
pen - Bic permanent marker
border punch - EKSuccess

U ROCK!

2010-01-24T11:10:00.002-06:00

Hi all, I hope you are having a fun weekend! I just thought I would pop by with a card for you. I have been really loving my Cricut lately and every now and then I will flip through the booklets that come with each cartridge just to maybe spark some ideas for me. And when I flipped through my Graphically Speaking cartridge book I found this fire image that intrigued me and as I continued on with my search I found the guitar image on my Stamping Solutions cartridge and that was all I needed for some inspiration.

Everything else just kind of fell into place from there, the colors, the design, and THIS sentiment from Papertrey Ink. I think this could be a great card for a teen. I only wish now after seeing the card posted here that I should have done more to bling up the guitar a little, it looks a little plain jane to me, but I can always go back and add something to it before I send it to someone. What do you think, what could I add to the guitar to make it be more appealing to the eye? Or I even thought too that I could add a little glitter around the top edges of the fire to help make the card stand out a little more. Decisions, decisions.

Supplies:

card stock, patterned paper, stamp, ink - Papertrey Ink

marker - Creative Memories

border punch - Fiskars

die cut machine - Cricut

cartridges - Graphically Speaking, Stamping Solutions

My Tiny Little Corner of the Universe

2010-01-19T21:41:00.002-06:00

I have never thought about sharing my scrap space until I was asked about it in an interview. I just figured it is such a tiny little spot in the corner of my dining room that I didn't think it was of any interest to anyone. I know I really enjoy looking at everyone else's space that I thought I would share mine, no matter how small it is. :o)

Here is the whole package. All of my scrap belongings in one little space. But everything in this space is near and dear to me. I am so passionate about my hobby that I truly love everything I own. Sometimes I wish I could expand more, but I think if I get too much stuff that a lot of my supplies would go unnoticed. This way with a small stash, I can use most everything I have on one project or another.

Here is the first extra thing I got for Christmas one year to help expand myself from just my desk. I love this rolling cart. I keep all my flowers, colors, ribbon, chipboard, some sizzix dies, and misc. stuff in here. On top of the cart is my container of adhesive and envelopes, more ribbon by PTI ( love that stuff) and a container for some more misc stuff like eyelets, epoxy charms, grommets, acrylic hearts and flowers and so on.

Here is my newest cart addition. I have quickly expanded my punch collection that I knew I had to get a storage unit to house it all. So, the first three drawers are all full of a variety of punches and the bottom drawer has all of my newest purchases. I like to keep those in one spot so if I need some new inspiration I know where to go.

All of my paper in this file organizer is sorted my color. I find that works for me best when I scrap. A lot of the time I just need a certain color to go with a LO and it is easy to just look at all my blue paper or whatever and go from there. All the patterned paper in this area is just some I collected from kits or here and there. I keep all my lines of patterned paper in the paper files on each side of my punches storage cart in the photo above. In the apothecary stand I have some adhesive, acrylic blocks, gems, 4x6 paper pads and a few other odds and ends. And to the left of this stand is all my PTI stamps and some Colorbox inks below them.

On the top shelf of my main unit is some magazines, sketch books, etc. and in the first three blue binders are the rest of my clear stamps. In the black binder is my rubons, the burgundy binder is my stickers, and the gray binders hold all my letter stickers. Next shelf down holds my xyron machine, markers and more chipboard in the gray container, big bite, zutter binder, ellison tagalong, and all my sizzix alpha dies. Next shelf down is some misc. papers and juck, glitter, paint, scissors, personal trimmer, stickles and then I have my cricut cartridges and lastly my Stampin Up! stamps. On the main desktop I have my Epic Six, old Sizzix die cutter, PTI ink and PTI paper. And in my top drawer I have all the rest of my stamps like background stamps and such and the other two drawers hold more tools and blank mini albums just waiting to be used.

Sorry if this is long winded, but I don't know how to use photo shop to edit my photos and put cute little numbers and list the stuff I have. Boy, I need to get more computer savvy because that would have been so much easier. LOL!! Thanks for stopping by to see my happiest spot in the world.

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #21

2010-01-07T10:14:00.002-06:00

So happy that another Raspberry Suite Color Challenge as been posted. And I have to tell you, I am in love with these colors. It took no time to come up with a card design because these colors were so fun to work with. Thanks for the inspiration, Dawn McVey.

I got a new Quickutz butterfly die from Two Peas last week and it is my new favorite. I am so in love with butterflies right now it isn't even funny and when 2Peas has Quickutz on sale I just had to have this die.

And thanks to Dawn's awesome tutorial on how to tie bows, I finally got the bow I have always wanted to tie. To think that it was so easy to do, but I just couldn't master it on my own. I think it is the flipping of the ribbon to make it lie flat after you make that first tie that made all the difference. Thanks, Dawn, will forever love making bows now.

And if you look closely, you can see that I made a plaid background with my Background Basics:Retro stamp set and my lemon tart and aquamist ink pads. So fun to do and love how it turned out.

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Supplies:

cardstock, ribbon, stamps, ink - Papertrey Ink

border punch - EKSuccess

butterfly die - Quickutz

die machine - Epic 6 by Quickutz

Girly, You Rock!

2010-01-04T08:41:00.003-06:00

Another new year and a new decade is upon us. I hope your 2009 was wonderful and that 2010 is even better. Everyone deserves to be happy so I wish all of you tons up happiness for the year to come.

So to go along with the theme of happiness, here is a cheery card for you. I just love the colors in this card, they are bright, fun and happy. I have been on a kick lately with butterflies and when I was shopping at Michaels a few weeks back, I came across this sizzix butterfly die and I had to have it especially when it was 40% off. What a deal and a great purchase because this baby will get some good use.

Hope you all have a fabulous week and that you are kicking 2010 off to a good start.

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

stamps - Hero Arts (polka dots), Papertrey Ink (sentiment)

ribbon - Cosmo Cricket

gems - Hero Arts

butterfly die cut - Sizzix die

border punch - Martha Stewart

scalloped circle - Cricut Stamping Cartridge

ink - Papertrey Ink, Tsukineko

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-24T13:30:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone in blogland. Just wanted to take a second to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It has been a fun year sharing all my craftiness with you and I hope you continue to visit my blog in 2010. I love what I do but I love it more knowing that you are stopping by and visiting. Thanks for sharing my love of cardmaking and scrapbooking with me and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!!!

Hugs,

Julie

Absolutely Fabulous

2009-12-22T08:33:00.003-06:00

I don't necessarily feel absolutely fabulous today but I thought this card might cheer me up a bit. This card came together in no time at all and was a lot of fun to make. I originally submitted this card for the style challenge for the CARDS May 2010 call and since it wasn't picked up, I thought I would share it with you today.

The style challenge was to create a card with the colors baby pink, cream and black and you had to add a flourish for the element. I had just gotten this new to me sizzix flower die and I just got the inspiration from this flower and went with it. Sometimes all it takes is a new purchase to spark some creativity. I had to add some glitter to this card because the word fabulous just screams glitter to me. :o)

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

stamps - Papertrey Ink

brad - Making Memories

flower - Sizzix by Provo Craft

border punch - Stampin' Up!

ink - Tsukineko

glitter - Ranger Stickles

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #20

2009-12-10T12:43:00.003-06:00

Yay, another fun round of color challenges by Dawn McVey. And can I say that I am totally in love with these colors. I love warm colors and the colors Dawn picked for her challenge are the true definition of warm. The aquamist color adds so much appeal that it is sure to be a standout color on any card that is posted to this challenge. I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

Supplies:

cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon, stamps - PTI

border punches - Martha Stewart, EKSuccess

tea cup die cut - Cricut Stamped Cartridge

ink - Tsukineko

Sending a Smile Across the Miles

2009-12-04T08:12:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone. I have my computer back to normal, yay!!! I was getting so frustrated not being able to upload pictures to my blog and I can't go without my pictures, otherwise you have to sit and read all my boring stuff. :o)

Anyway, here is a card I created using a bunch of deco scissors. I used five different styles of scissors and just layered them. Love how the look turned out. And I can't believe how the bow turned out. I never have good luck with bows and I am totally loving this one. Let's hope I have mastered the art of bow making because I go crazy not having a good bow on my cards. Even if I really want one on my card, sometimes I skip it just because I can't do the bows justice.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - BasicGrey

stamps - Papertrey Ink

ribbon - American Crafts

flowers - Creative Memories

brads - Making Memories

ink - Papertrey Ink

deco scissors - Provo Craft and Fiskars

A Few LOs for You!!

2009-11-15T10:31:00.002-06:00

Oh how I wish I could have a way to take better shots of my layouts for you. My camera just doesn't capture the true feeling of the LO and I don't have a scanner to use to scan them. Hopefully someday I can master taking pictures of a LO. Until then you will have to make due with these not so good pics. :)

This first LO is of Jordan's 6th grade year of basketball. I always have a hard time trying to pick a couple of photos so I try my best to fit 3 or 4 on a page. I have to do a little cropping here and there but I am happy because I am able to put more pics on a page.

This next LO is of Jordan's State swim meet. I have had a lot of LOs to do to try and catch up some so I have kept these pages pretty simple. After all, I still have three more kids to catch up on. And I'm not doing so good. But, I am happy with simple pages because it still gets my story across and that is the main thing.

This last page is of Jordan's Regional swim meet in Minnesota where 9 states competed in this meet. So exciting for Jordan and the rest of us. Again, I kept this page fast and simple but I was happy at all the photos I was able to include.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great week!!!

Birthday Wishes

2009-11-12T08:33:00.003-06:00

MIA. Sorry about that. Sometimes I get in a funk and don't want to spend more than 5 minutes on the computer at a time. That definitely doesn't give me time to write up a blog post. I will do my best to be better. I guess I could just post some pictures for you and write very few words, but I feel bad doing that. Oh well, hope for some improvement soon. :)

This was a card I created for one of my nieces for her birthday. I hope the recipient liked it. :) I love the combo of pink and orange for a girl. It screams girl power to me with the boldness of the colors. There are three different stamp sets I used from Papertrey Ink on this card. All you PTI lovers out there can you name them all? Here are the ones I used in case you wanted to check them out: Polka Dot Basics, Vintage Labels, and Mega Mixed Messages.

Thanks for stopping by and hopefully I can have another post up this weekend.

Supplies:

cardstock - PTI

patterned paper - Sassafras

gems - Hero Arts

stamps - PTI

ink - PTI

border punch - EKSuccess

flowers - craft supply

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #18

2009-10-28T11:51:00.002-05:00

Hi all. Quick post here before I take Riley to preK. Here is my entry for this week's color challenge. I knew I just had to use the new stamp set Take Note by PTI. I am getting a head start on my Christmas making stuff and I want to make a bunch of notepads to put in stockings and this is a good a start as any. Now I only have about 17 more to make. :)

Supplies:
stamps, cardstock, patterned paper, ink - PTI
border punch - Fiskars
circle and scalloped circle punch - EKsuccess

Computer Troubles

2009-10-25T22:07:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone. If you follow this blog you have realized I haven't posted anything for a while and there is a good reason for that, I got a virus in my computer. The virus keeps me from logging on to the internet and emails. I am currently working on my husbands laptop. I am going to do my best to save all my pictures to a jump drive and try to post pics from there. I have plenty of craftiness done and would love to share it all with you so I will try to get all of this sorted out soon and get some posts up here. Hopefully I can get it done before the Raspberry Suite Color Challenge deadline is done. :) I can't miss that one!!!

Celebrate the Magic of Christmas

2009-10-12T08:14:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to pop in and share a Christmas card with you. This card took only about 15 minutes to make, really pretty simple. I have been making some Christmas cards lately to see what design I like best and what can be mass produced in the least amount of time. Obviously this card didn't make the cut since I am showing it to you on the blog. I still love it though, but I don't really want to send buttons through the mail because I will probably have to pay extra postage with the bulk of pictures inside the card as well. I will say, it has been fun playing with some Christmas stamps in October. I makes me very happy. :0) And this stamp set is the Tree Trimming Trio, a new release from Papertrey Ink.

Supplies:

cardstock - Stampin Up! (very vanilla), Papertrey Ink (melon berry, dark chocolate, summer sunrise)

stamp - Papertrey Ink (tree trimming trio)

ink - Memento (rich cocoa), Papertrey Ink (ripe avocado)

buttons - Papertrey Ink (melon berry)

border punch - Stampin Up!

WCMD Challenge #4: Australia

2009-10-04T13:32:00.004-05:00

Here is the last challenge for WCMD over at Nicole Heady's blog, and it is all about Australia. I never new I could come up with so much inspiration from the wonderful countries she spotlighted. Thanks for jump starting my creativity again, Nicole, I have had a blast with these challenges.

When I think of Australia, I think of very neutral colors. And I went with the most neutral of all, kraft, brown and white. And I love the detailing of the dotted lines bordering many of their pictures and designs, a great added touch to make something stand out.

With this card, I used the Polka Dots Basics stamp set and the Star Prints stamp set. I picked the star patterns that had straight lines in them so I could add more of the detailed dotted lines with my white signo pen. For the background I just randomly picked circles to draw dotted lines around, I thought doing all of the circles would be too distracting.

Also for this card I was inspired by the stars you see in Australia. I believe Australia is one of the few countries along with many African countries that don't have hardly any lights that light up the night. Instead you have pure darkness, and because of this darkness, you can see all the beautiful stars that light up the sky. And hence, that is why I chose the Star Prints stamps set to go along with this last challenge.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

WCMD Challenge #3: India

2009-10-04T13:18:00.005-05:00

Are you up for another card? I hope so because I have one for you that is inspired by one of the most beautiful countries in the world, India. When I think of India I think of beautiful people dressed in wonderful, intricate, beaded garmets. There is such detail to their clothes and beautiful bright colors. For my card I wanted to play of the beads and the details.

For this card, I really wanted to use beads so I strung them across the bottom part of my card. And to add some detail I made sure I to add flourishes, gems, intricate border and the beautiful designs of the Damask Designs stamp set from PTI. The label on my card is from a new release called Vintage Labels from PTI. LOVE IT!!!

As for the sentiment "I Love You", doesn't the Taj Mahal in India remind you of love? That is why I picked the sentiment I did. And that is from the Damask Design stamp set as well.

WCMD Challenge #2: Mexico

2009-10-03T17:44:00.002-05:00

Here is another post for today. I got challenge #2 done for Nicole Heady's blog. I am loving her challenges so far, so much inspiration to be had. And speaking of inspirations, I am inspired by the bold colors, full ruffled skirts, and large flowers that you often find on many garments in Mexico. A card makers dream to work with such an array of beautiful colors and flowers.

So as you can see with my card, I made a big flower, full ruffled trim and used beautiful bold colors. Another quick card for me to come up with because of the inspiration. And of course I had to use my favorite Polka Dots Basics stamp set from PTI and also the Fancy Flourishes set. The sentiment is from the Mega Mixed Messages stamp set. The only thing not PTI is the brad and that is from Heidi Swapp.

Thanks for looking!!!! Have a wonderful evening.

WCMD Challenge #1: Japan

2009-10-03T14:38:00.005-05:00

Hi all, I am back with another card for you for World Card Making Day. Over at Nicole Heady's blog, she is having 4 challenges for all us cardmakers. The first challenge is to make a card inspired by the beauty of Japan. When I searched the web for Japanese Art, I came across many pictures of architecture. And the picture above was my inspiration for my card. I love the tiered roof and the beauty of this building. A true representation of Japan.

For this card I used the Background Basics: Spots and Dots and Mega Mixed Messages from Papertrey Ink. And all the paper is PTI as well. Gems are from HA and punches are from Stampin' Up!.

WCMD and Raspberry Suite Color Challenge

2009-10-03T12:09:00.003-05:00

What better way of getting into the spirit of World Card Making Day than to make a card for the Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #17. I absolutely love these colors that Dawn McVey chose, I love them so much that I am going to make a Christmas card with them as well.

This card came together so quickly and I think it is because of my new love for the Polka Dots Basics stamp set. I love this set and see many future uses with it. Now I just need to get the Polka Dots Basics II set. Along with the Polka Dots stamp set I also used the Cupcake Collection and Fancy Flourishes (another favorite). All of these stamp sets are from Papertrey Ink.

I hope everyone enjoys WCMD and that the creativity flows!!!

Supplies:

cardstock - PTI

stamps - PTI

ink - PTI and Memento (brown)

ribbon - Robert Stanley Collection

embossing folder - Quickutz

Recent Projects

2009-09-21T22:20:00.004-05:00

Hi all. Sorry I have been gone for so long but I am ready to show you some of the projects I have been working on. All of them were submitted to the PTI Guest Star Stamper for the month of September. I was lucky enough to get an honorable mention for my timeless template submission. So happy for that. If you would like to see the blog post announcing the winners and honorable mentions, CLICK HERE.

This picture above was my honorable mention win. There are templates you can purchase every month from Papertrey Ink and I really loved the templates for these "tucked away" boxes. Actually there is a large template for these boxes and a small one, I just decided to put the two on top of each other to create the look of a wedding cake. I thought to make these gift boxes as an idea for weddings and giving them to your bridesmaids and groomsmen for small gifts like jewelry and cufflinks and such.

I created this votive candle holder for the Autumn project category. This was one of my favorite projects because it was so easy to make and adds a lot of cuteness to this candle.

For this one we had to create a Halloween treat project. I decided to make a treat bag you could fill with goodies along with a wrapped candy bar and a card. I have always been so hesitant in the past to buy seasonal stamps, but I was so happy when I decided to go ahead and get some halloween and fall stamps from Papertrey Ink. I love everyone of them and plan on using them for Zach birthday goodies for his classmates and for the kids' Halloween parties. Should get a lot of use out of these stamps.

Here is the last project I made where we had to create a Thanksgiving project. I decided to make a nametag for a table setting. And along with this I made a "thankful for you" card. I thought it would be kind of cute to have these at the dinner table for a family Thanksgiving. Everyone could pass their cards around and inside the card we would write down why we are thankful for that person and it could be a keepsake for them to take home and look at whenever they want.

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #16

2009-09-05T11:49:00.003-05:00

Hi there. Normally I am not one to do two cards for these challenges, but since we had more than ample time and because I love the fall so much that these colors inspired me I went ahead and made another card.

As for the pumkin, I saw someone else make one like this but using regular ovals instead of scalloped ones. I was so in love with the way they made their pumpkin that I had to try it. I feel so bad that I cannot remember who it was that inspired me. I will do my best to search some more and come back here and give them some kudos.

Supplies:cardstock - Stampin Up! (kraft, very vanilla), PTI (summer sunrise and dark chocolate); stamps - PTI; ribbon - Robert Stanley Collection; twine - PTI; button - PTI; ink - Memento; glitter - Stickles (Ranger Ink); border punch - Fiskars

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #16

2009-09-01T16:30:00.004-05:00

I LOVE the fall and what better way to start the season early than with these awesome colors. I was so giddy when I saw the colors for this challenge. I could work with these colors all year long, never get sick of them.

It was so amazing how quick this card came together. I knew in my head how I wanted to do the design of this card and it all just kind of went from there. I used the new 2009 Autumn Tags set from Papertrey Ink for the stamps. For the background stamp though I used the Hero Arts Raindrop background stamp. I wanted to add some texture to this card as well so I embossed the brown cardstock with THIS Cuttlebug embossing folder and added some rustic twine.

Supplies:

cardstock - PTI (summer sunrise and dark chocolate), Stampin Up! (kraft, very vanilla)

stamps - PTI, Hero Arts

ink - Memento

twine - PTI

other - Cuttlebug embossing folder, Stampin Up! exclusive Sizzix die cut, EKsuccess circle and scalloped punch

Vacation LOs - Part 2

2009-08-31T10:51:00.003-05:00

Here are some more vacation LOs. I am working on other stuff right now that I don't want to post here just yet so until I can post them, you will have the total pleasure of seeing my vacation LOs. Luckily I have quite a few of them done so I have something to post on here for the next couple of weeks or so. And as you know, I love the Color Challenges and I will keep posting them as well. My posts won't be as many, but I will do enough to hopefully keep you interested. :) Thanks for checking in, I love it when people stop by.

Supplies:

cardstock - Stampin Up! (kraft)

all other supplies - Little Yellow Bicycle

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #15

2009-08-23T11:54:00.005-05:00

Back with another Raspberry Suite Color Challenge. When I saw this challenge for the first time last night I got such creative jolt that I had to make a card right away. I am usually one to not make a card until the last couple of days or so, but this time I just had to sit down and get my card done because the colors inspired me so much.

I pretty much new right away what stamp set I wanted to use because I love the flowers and the stem in the For All You Do stamp set by Stampin Up!. Gotta love Stampin Up! I also love to use my scissors and I was craving a little cutting and this was perfect for me. Please tell me I am not the only one who loves using her scissors. :)

This last picture kind of gives you the the dimensional feel to my card. I used foam adhesive on the largest flowers and just curled the edges on the medium sized flowers and kept the smallest ones flat to the card. To help polish off the flowers I added a pearl gem to the center of each. Love the elegant feel of it. Thanks so much for looking!! Have a great day!

Supplies:

cardstock - Stampin Up! (very vanilla)

stamps - Stampin Up!

ink - Colorbox (clearsnap)

pearls - Hero Arts

Vacation Layouts

2009-08-17T10:52:00.003-05:00

I have been working hard on our vacation album and I thought I would share a couple of pages with you today. I am hoping to post all of our vacation layouts for you to look at. I have 15 pages of my 40 page album done so far. I had to stop for a little while to make a couple of mini albums for family and some cards but I am hoping to get back at my album soon and get it done by mid September or so. It is always good to have a time frame because it keeps me moving.

Supplies:

kraft cardstock - Stampin Up!

all other supplies - Little Yellow Bicycle

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #14

2009-08-12T22:41:00.005-05:00

Wow, I was so excited when I saw the colors for this week's color challenge. I am not one to use dark colors and I loved the fact that this challenge took me out of my comfort zone. I have been in a real creative slump lately and this was just what I needed to help put me out of that slump. My creative juices got flowing and I knew right away that I wanted to do an anniversary card with these colors because the boldness of the colors remind me of the kind of elegance that you get from weddings. And anniversary cards should be just as special.

Isn't THIS stamp set great. It is designed by Dawn McVey for Papertrey Ink, the very person that does these wonderful color challenges. So glad I had a beautiful stamp set like this to make this card, it just added to the elegance I wanted to create.

Supplies:

cardstock - PTI, SU (very vanilla)

stamps - PTI

gems - Hero Arts

ribbon - Robert Stanley Collection

ink - Clearsnap

Mini Album - Maine

2009-08-09T15:02:00.003-05:00

Wow. I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted last. Sorry for that. I just haven't spent that much time on the computer lately, no drive to keep me on there. But, I am back with a mini album I created in 5-6 hours or so of our vacation to Maine. I made this as a gift for our Aunt Bev since she wasn't able to join us on this vacation. We sure missed her. I just wanted to be sure to include pictures of all the families that were there and in a couple different locations. BTW, she loved the album and I was so happy to make it for her.

Supplies:

chipboard book - Cosmo Cricket

patterned paper - October Afternoon

stamps - Papertrey Ink, Stampin Up!

gems - Hero Arts

letter stickers - American Crafts

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #13

2009-07-30T09:57:00.003-05:00

Here we are with another challenge. I really liked the colors for this challenge because a stream of ideas came into my head the minute I saw the colors. There is so much you can do with this color palette that the possibilities are pretty much endless.

I have been in the mood for simplicity lately. And what is more simpler than this card I made using Stampin Up! stamps. I just had to break out this stamp set I just got and the awesome butterfly punch. That is by far my new favorite punch by Stampin Up! You gotta love their products and I always get so giddy when the new catalogs come and this one did not disappoint.

Thanks for stopping by. I always love it when fellow crafters visit.

Thank You, Hero Arts!!! Blog Hop

2009-07-24T09:15:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone. Thanks for visiting my site for the blog hop that Ashley created to thank Hero Arts for being such a great company. I couldn't agree with her more and I appreciate the thought and time she put into this to make this happen. Thanks to you too, Ashley!! And if you want to follow along on the blog hop, visit HERE and have fun!!

So, without further ado, here is the Thank You card I created for Hero Arts to show them that I appreciate all they do and the wonderful products they create. You couldn't find a more creative, kind, generous, eco friendlier company than Hero Arts. And for all those who run, design and work for the company they are great as well. We all so much love and appreciate everyone who has a hand in making Hero Arts a successful company. Kudos to you!!!

For this card I used my favorite stamps, the heart winged butterfly and the raindrop background, and my new favorite stamp, dots and flowers. Here are the numbers for them in case you want some enabling.
F5158 - Heart Winged Butterfly
S5213 - Dots and Flowers
S5101 - Raindrop Background
and I also used CL142 - Clear Design Thank You Messages

To go along with this blog hop Ashley came up with a couple of questions for all of us to answer, so here we go:

1. How did you get started using Hero Arts products? While visiting Jennifer McGuire's blog one day she mentioned about a new blog going up called the Hero Arts blog. And I had never heard of Hero Arts before and so I thought I would visit there and see what it was. Come to find out it was this wonderful stamp company who decided to start a blog to showcase their products and to give us all inspiration for creating. Right then and there I was hooked and I made my first order shortly after that. And my ordering hasn't stopped since. I am now a proud owner of many Hero Art stamps and I love everyone of them.

2. Tell us why you are thankful for Hero Arts. I am most thankful for Hero Arts for bringing out the stamping side of me. Their daily inspiration and great products were enough to really bring out all my creativity. Also, I am thankful for their generousity. They are such a kind, stamping family and are always giving. It is amazing the prizes they give away all for just being a part of the Hero Arts club. How wonderful is that? And one other thing I am thankful for is the great Hero Arts flickr family. Those girls are the best and I look forward to creating with them and talking with them. You couldn't find a nicer group of people, they are a family to me.

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #12

2009-07-21T08:58:00.003-05:00

Yippee, I was so happy to see that I didn't miss a color challenge while I was gone on vacation. I am so bound and determined to do every one of these just because I love them so much. It is funny because when I saw this color challenge I was thinking the same thing about my coleus a few weeks back about how great the colors were and what they would look like on paper. I guess now I get to put my creativity to work on that.

I was looking through all my stamps trying to find something that I haven't used in a while and this great stamp set from Papertrey Ink just popped right out at me. It is such a great stamp set and so many uses for it. Not to mention the sentiments are great with a great font.

And do you see my latest purchase? I got a new border punch from Martha Stewart. It is this one HERE. I love it and it can look great on feminine and masculine cards. Border punches are my addiction for the moment until I find a new one. :)

As always, thanks for looking and I am so happy to be back home with all my crafty stuff.

Last Post Before Our Vacation

2009-07-09T09:17:00.004-05:00

Hi all. I just wanted to get one last post on my crafting blog before we go on vacation. We are going to Maine this year and with the whole Batta Family. It should be so much fun and we are anticipating some beautiful scenery and wonderful hiking adventures. Not to mention the ocean and lighthouses. I am so excited to see the lighthouses, don't know why, but I am. I just think of it as a beautiful work of solitary architecture along the shoreline. A beacon of hope for many ships who once passed. A lot of history in some of those lighthouses. I plan on taking many pictures and posting them on my family blog so watch for that in my sidebar under Family Blog.

This first LO I did was for a Hero Arts challenge. We had to create something with the theme vacation in mind. And speaking of vacation, these pictures are from 7 years ago when we all went to Montana. I don't know why I haven't scrapped them yet, I am thinking it is because I did a 12x12 album which takes so much long than an 8x8 album (which I have done for all our vacations since). No better time than the present, right?

Here is my second LO for you. This was also created for the Hero Arts Challenge. And I am still using the same vacation pictures from Montana. These little paper flowers I made are so simple to do. I just tore out three large circles from cardstock and three smaller circles. I then crumpled them up and curled the edges a little and then put a solid black circle in the center with a light blue brad. If you would like to create these but with a little more flare and more colors, visit this post HERE on Dawn McVey's blog. She is the master and creator of these beautiful flowers.

I hope you all have a wonderful upcoming week. Be thinking of me when I fly out Saturday morning at 5am on a 44 seat plane. I am a little freaked out about riding on that stinkin, small plane. But it is only to Minneapolis. I can do this. Or maybe I can do this with a little tranquillizer. :)

Supplies River Rafting:

cardstock - Bazzill Basics Paper

patterned paper - October Afternoon

stamps - Hero Arts

gems - Hero Arts

letter stickers - American Crafts

journaling sheet - Making Memories

butterfly punch - Martha Stewart

ink - Memento (black), Colorbox (blue)

Supplies Going to the Sun Road:

cardstock - Bazzill Basics Paper

patterned paper - October Afternoon

stamps - Hero Arts

letter stickers - Adornit (black), American Crafts (white and blue)

ink - Memento

brads - BasicGrey

One Wild Party

2009-07-07T09:04:00.003-05:00

Here is a LO I did for my son's birthday. I got the color inspiration from the string of triangles across the bottom of the photos. I cut those out of some American Craft patterned paper. Big bold colors should be used for birthdays anyway.

I couldn't resist using THESE cute little animals stamps from Hero Arts. It was a chore cutting them all out, but I didn't mind it too much. I tend to like the art of cutting sometimes. I just thought the stamps go great with my title, One Wild Party.

Supplies:

cardstock - Bazzill Basics Paper

stamps - Hero Arts

patterned paper - American Crafts

letter stickers - American Crafts

ink - Memento

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #11

2009-07-03T14:58:00.005-05:00

I have to be the first to admit, these were a little challenging for colors, well challenging that I wanted to stay away from flowers since I do a lot of flower cards sometimes. But, last night while I was lying in bed, this idea came to me to use my one birdhouse stamp set from Papertrey Ink. I had it all invisioned in my head how I would use it and how I wanted my whole card to lay out. I only changed one thing about my vision. I was going to use the birdhouses that went vertical but instead I used the group of three birdhouses that line up horizontally.

Here is how my card turned out. I am pretty happy with the end result. Only I wasn't so happy with how hard it was to stamp on this light gray paper. It is almost like it had a little bit of a sheen to it and it made it difficult to get a good solid stamp. But, I tried my best to darken a few areas with black marker to make it more bold like on the birdhouse posts and the roof on the middle birdhouse.

As for the grass, that was the easy part. I just took a strip of paper about .75 inches wide and started snipping to give the look of individual pieces of grass. Once I was done with that, I just crinkled the ends a bit. Easy peasy!!

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink (pink, black, red), Bazzill (green), American Crafts (light gray)

stamps - Papertrey Ink

gems - Hero Arts

ink - Colorbox

Birthday Wishes

2009-07-02T20:10:00.005-05:00

HI!!! Here is a card I did for a challenge at the Hero Arts Blog. The challenge was to create a card inspired by one of the winaday on the blog contest winners. As I was looking through all the beautiful cards by the lovely winners, I instantly fell in love with THIS card by Linda. What I loved the most was the weaving and the big, beautiful flower.

So, to create my card I started with some awesome October Afternoon patterned paper called Ducks in a Row. I cut those papers into .5 X 5.25 inches and weaved them onto my cardstock. This got a little tricky trying to adhere those strips down because I have a tendency to be a perfectionist and I wanted them all to line up perfectly. Lo and behold, I did it. Next I created my flower by cutting three different sized circles and cutting notches out of them to make petals. I then stamped them with Hero Arts background stamps and distressed the edges. To finish off my card I sewed some buttons on for the leaves of the flower. Really, pretty simple but a little time consuming. All worth it though.

Supplies:

cardstock - Stampin Up!

patterned paper - October Afternoon

stamps - Hero Arts

floss - DMC

buttons - ?

ink - Colorbox (blue), Memento (brown)

brad - BasicGrey

Your A Game

2009-06-29T09:42:00.004-05:00

In honor of Jordan's birthday yesterday, I thought I would post a LO of him and his good grades. Jordan has always been a great student and always works hard for his grades. I just wanted to finally put that accomplishment on paper or actually on a LO. I never have to help him study for a test or help him with any of his homework. He does it all by himself and actually gets most of his work done in school, it was rare he brought any homework home. Just very proud of him.

Supplies:

cardstock - Bazzill Basics Paper

patterned paper - Jenni Bowlin (large diecut paper), October afternoon (apple paper, striped paper on tree), BasicGrey (red paper)

chipboard tree - Maya Road

ink - Signo Uniball (white), American Crafts (black)

cricut - Making the Grade cartridge (A), George and Basic Shapes (rest of title)

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #10

2009-06-25T12:48:00.005-05:00

Time for another color challenge by the ever talented Dawn McVey. If you are stopping by my blog for the first time, you will find out that I am a huge fan of Dawn's and love everything she creates. You absolutely need to visit her blog, just click on the link above to take you there, total eye candy. Dawn's blog is a blog I visit daily and I draw such inspiration from the beautiful cards she creates.

Don't you just love that embossed background by Quickutz. I was so happy this last weekend to be able to purchase that baby. I also purchased the embossed circles folder as well. If you would like to see the folders themselves click HERE for the diamond one and HERE for the circles one.

So much fun as usual making this card. I had to break out my new stamp set from Papertrey Ink. I have always wanted a cupcake set but none of the ones out there really perked my interest until this Papertrey Ink one was released June 15th. I bought it early morning at midnight to be sure I got one. Awesome set with great sentiments. Click HERE to see the full set. It won't disappoint.

As for the card, it is a 4.25 X 4.25 with rounded corners. I thought that gave it a more feminine touch. I plan on giving this card to my daughter so I tried to make it as girly as possible. I also added the pearls and the string bow to add some more girliness. I always think the smaller cards are the most fun to make. The best things come in small packages, right. ;)

Supplies:

cardstock - Papertrey Ink (pink and brown), Stampin Up! (other pink and cream)

stamps - Papertrey Ink

pearls - Hero Arts

embossing folder - Quickutz

ink - Memento (brown), colorbox (pink)

border punch - Fiskars

Kristina Werner Color Inspiration #55

2009-06-24T17:58:00.003-05:00

I feels like it has been a while since I have done Kristina's challenge, but I really have only missed the one in the last 8 or so. And that was last week's challenge. I really wish I could have gotten to that challenge because the colors were awesome, but I lucked out this week with colors that are just as great.

The colors for this week remind me of simple elegance. In my mind I imagined a card with just enough color to draw the eye but not too much color to keep the design simple. And then I added the scalloped edge to the bottom of the card to add a touch of elegance. I was just happy I had an orangish ink color to do the sentiment.

Thanks Kristina for another great challenge.

Supplies:

cardstock - Stampin Up! (oranges), Bazzill (other)

stamps - Stampin Up!

gems - Hero Arts

border punch - Fiskars

butterfly punch - Martha Stewart

ink - Colorbox

Father's Day Cards

2009-06-23T10:36:00.003-05:00

Here are the cards I sent out for Father's Day. Actually I sent two out and just handed the one to my amazing hubby. The first card I made for my hubby, the second card for Curt's dad and the last card for my dad. It is really hard for me to make masculine cards sometimes especially when I am making a bunch at once, but I liked how these turned out. I always seem to want to add a feminine touch to all my cards and so I have resist that with masculine cards. I even carefully choose my border punches because even some of those I consider feminine. Hopefully someday this will get easier for me.

Supplies (card #1)

cardstock - Stampin Up!

stamps - Hero Arts

patterned paper - October Afternoon

letter stickers - American Crafts

ink - Colorbox (blue), Memento (brown)

Supplies (card #2)

cardstock - Stampin Up!

stamps - Stampin Up!

patterned paper - BasicGrey

twine - Papertrey Ink

ink - Memento

embossing folder - Cuttlebug

Supplies (card#3)

cardstock - Stampin Up!

stamps - Papertrey Ink

border punch - Fiskars

embossing powder - Hero Arts (white)

ink - Colorbox (blue), Versamark (for embossing)

Right Now

2009-06-18T08:15:00.002-05:00

Here is a LO of my son about all the stuff he is loving right now. I thought it would be fun to look back and read all the fun stuff he is really into and see how that changes through the years. I need to remember to make one of these LOs every year so I can keep comparing. And I also need to do it for all the kids. Sounds like another to do on my never ending to do list.

Supplies:

cardstock - Bazzill Basics Paper

stamp - Papertrey Ink

patterned paper - October Afternoon

chipboard piece - Maya Road

sheer owl - Maya Road

journaling tags - Collage Press

letter stickers - Collage Press

brads - BasicGrey

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #9

2009-06-16T10:58:00.004-05:00

Aren't these colors beautiful for this weeks challenge? I love this picture, this would inspire me as well to use these colors for this challenge. I was very inspired to make a masculine card because the colors are perfect and I never have enough of those. Who is with me here when I say that masculine cards are not easy to create. I always go into a creative block when I need a masculine card. Thanks for the inspiration Dawn to get my mojo flowing for this card.

As you can see, a very simple card. I don't feel you need a lot to please the eye sometimes. For this card, to make it appealing, it is all about the placement of the sentiment and the leaves. Having it offset from the center of the card makes you notice it more. To keep the background from being drab, I stamped THIS polka dot background by Hero Arts.

If you have some time. You need to take a look at this weeks entries for this challenge. There are some really beautiful cards in there. Scroll down on the post and just click on the individual names and it will take you to their card they made. Thanks for all the great inspiration ladies.

Supplies:

cardstock - Bazzill Basics Paper

stamps - Hero Arts (background and sentiment), Stampin Up! (leaves and frame)

ink - Memento

Dancing Girl

2009-06-08T11:51:00.006-05:00

This is a scrapbook page I did for a Hero Arts challenge. The week's challenge was to use polka dots on our creations. I don't have a lot of stamps with polka dots but I do have plenty of patterned paper with it. The fun part was trying to pick out what paper I wanted. I had this Pink Paislee scalloped circle for a while and thought to give it a try.

You have to love the journaling sprouts by Jillibean Soup. Check out the sprouts HERE and HERE. They are so great and come in a variety of colors. I used a couple on this page to fit all my jounaling and it worked out pretty good to line them up so my words kept flowing. And if you notice my colors, I went off the colors in the patterned paper to create this page. At first I didn't know how it would all look, but I ended up very happy with the end result and I think the colors make the page stand out.

Supplies:

cardstock - Bazzill Basics Paper

patterned paper - Pink Paislee

stamps - Hero Arts

flowers - Maya Road (yellow and blue), Bazzill (large Black), Prima (small black)

gems - Hero Arts

journaling sprouts - Jillibean Soup

letter stickers - Adornit

corner rounders - Creative Memories