Monster Mash Birthday

My new stamps from Lawn Fawn came yesterday from MarkerPOP, so I just had to grab my Copics and go play along with the current challenge over there.   These little monsters are SO stinking cute!  I just love them!   The sentiment is driving me a bit crazy as I can't tell if it's crooked or not, but that's okay.  It's a birthday card for a kid so they hopefully won't notice if it is.  lol

I have so many more cards to upload, so I guess I need to just schedule some posts for the rest of the week!  I have had so much fun stamping this weekend.   :)  Jason is a true angel for giving me so much crafty time.  

Here's another of Laila's masquerade party at Michael's.  Meow! 

I LOVE Big Books

I have been stamping like a crazy woman this morning!  I was so happy to have lots of time to just relax and let the creativity flow.   This card is a one-layer card for day 4 of the Winnie & Walter/Simon Says Stamp Share the Love challenge.   I just started a new book last night that is 1154 pages, so I think it was a perfect card for now.   lol  



I used a Marina Mist, Old Olive, and Tangerine Tango along with a bit of Early Espresso.   I thought they made for a fun card.  

I don't know if I ever posted Laila's little craft she did at the library.   We didn't get to go this week, but I'm hoping to go back next week.   She was a bit shy before, so I'm hoping if we go frequently she might get out of that a bit.  

CAS(E) These Books

Oh man!  The September kit from Simon Says Stamp got here this week and it is a book themed one!   I LOVE books, so book stamps are a huge wow for me.   I decided to ink it up and play along with CAS(E) this Sketch.    I used a favorite retired ink, Baja Breeze *cry* along with Pumpkin Pie and Crumb Cake.   I already mailed it off to a sweet friend who is a librarian.  I hope she likes it and it brightens up her birthday.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend.  I hope to get lots of stamping in as I have a huge list of challenges I want to do and a bunch of stamps I want to ink up!  Before I go, here's the envelope and inside of the card.  :)

Fun huh?   I just love this set so much already!  Now I'm off to read my book.   I'm almost finished and ready for book three in the series.   I never thought I was a big sci-fi person, but I am enjoying the Song of Ice and Fire series.   We caught up on the Game of Thrones HBO series, so now I need to focus on the books.  

We went to feed the ducks today and got WAY TOO MANY ducks.   It was a bit overwhelming!   It also rained 10 minutes into our walk around the lake, so we had to run back to the car and come home.  Laila was upset, so I hope we can try again this weekend.  

Rainbow Birthday

Greetings!   Can you believe that I haven't stamped all week until last night?!   I was sure missing it, so I hope to catch up a bit this weekend.   Winnie & Walter teamed up with Simon Says Stamp for a fun set of challenges this week, so I decided to start there.  The first one was to use the rainbow color palette, so of course I grabbed my awesome ice cream set.  Still addicted to that one!  These sets pair wonderfully together don't they?

My little diva.   She has had quite the week.  She wouldn't nap at all on Wednesday, so that evening was ROUGH.    Yesterday Jason spent an hour and a half getting her down for both nap and bedtime.   I think she's in a state where she's making a lot of mental leaps, so her mind just doesn't want to stop and rest.   It's exhausting, but watching all the new stuff she's saying and learning is amazing.   I can't believe all the songs she's singing now!  

FMS Butterflies

Happy Wednesday!    You've made it halfway through the work week!   Yay!   It's also time for a new Freshly Made Sketch.   Our amazing guest designer Kim designed this week's sketch and I just love it.   Definitely one to pin and use again and again!

Last week Laila and I went shopping at Michael's and she picked out some paper for me.   I decided to use it this week, so that's where the butterfly paper came from.   :-)    I did manage to avoid buying the Hello Kitty paper, but only barely!  lol    We also found some clearance embossing folders, so the background is from a set of Tim Holtz ones we found.   

LOL  I love having her try on Halloween stuff, so it's now that time of year!   I already have her ladybug costume in the closet, but it's still fun to look around and see what else we can find.  She's a good sport as long as she has a snack.  Ha! 

Screaming for Ice Cream!

Back with more ice cream!  It's like 97 degrees today, so I just had to do it.  I am sweating and I'm in the house!  Goodness.   I am so ready for Fall.  That just means NOT 90 degrees here, but whatever.  lol  I hate being so hot.   Anyway...   I am still using up the paper from my SSS August Kit.  August is coming to a close and I'm determined to use up a lot of my kit so that I feel okay about buying it.  I know the September one has shipped, so I need to get ready for new stuff this week.  Yay!   I just colored the images with my Copics, added some clear Wink of Stella, and the rest is pretty easy to see.   Super fun card to make.   It makes me happy to look at, so I'll call that a success.

We had a crafty morning with Laila today.  First I stamped with her and then Jason did some fingerpainting and coloring.  She had fun and it was so cute to watch.  

Now I'm off to do my Christmas card class! And sweat.  Happy Sunday!

SSS Back to School

When I saw the new Wednesday challenge at Simon Says Stamp, I just had to play along!  My best buddy just went back to work teaching, so I thought I'd make a little card of encouragement for her.   I used some of the awesome Typeset designer paper and some scraps, so that part was super easy.  The stamps are from Clearly Besotted.  

My little stamper.  :)    She had to put a couple stickers on her before we could put them on the cards we made yesterday.  lol  

Laila's First Card

I saw that Simon Says Stamp was running a stamping challenge for kids, so I decided to be brave and let Laila stamp.   I grabbed some old ink pads and stamps and here's what she made.  :)    We had to ask some Hello Kitty stickers because we LOVE Hello Kitty.   (and we have a lot of stickers)

She actually did a lot better than I thought she would and we have a couple cards that we can send to Grammy now.  I'm not going to tell Mom, just pop one in the mail. I think she will be super surprised.

FMS Double Fun

Linda has a super fun sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches.   I had so much fun with it that I ended up making 3 cards!   I know...more ice cream, Rita?! Really?  I promise I'll put it away and use a different set tomorrow.   Promise!    It's just so darn cute though.

Isn't Linda's sketch fabulous?   There are so many ways to interpret it and our team highlighted quite a few of them.  I know the gallery will be amazing this week.  

Here's my second card.  Cute, huh?   This did make me think though...  I need a stamp that says I love  you more than coffee.  Or even better, more than Starbucks!   Now THAT's a lot.  lol  

Her hair and attitude are both out of control lately.  lol  I don't think she got a long enough nap on Monday and you can see from the picture how that went.   Yikes.  The attitude, whining, and fake crying are wearing me out.  It's a good thing she's so darn cute and likes to help put away the dishes.  ;)

Poppy Sketches Ice Cream

I found a few new challenge at Poppy Sketches and decided to play along today!   I had these colors on my desk, so it just seemed like perfect timing to do it.  :)   I am *slowly* using up my SSS card kit, so maybe I'll be ready to put it up and dig into the new one once it arrives.  I am becoming a bit addicited to these ice cream stamps though.   So yummy!

Isn't that a fun challenge?   I normally think cards using red, white, and blue look too patriotic, but I think I managed to avoid that?  I hope anyway.  

My little helper.  She comes running to check out every card now.  She'll feel all the embellishments, comment on the stamps, and then tell me it's a cute card.  :o)    Every cardmaker needs a helper like that!   It sounds like she's awake, so I finished just in time.  See you tomorrow for a new Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  

All You Need Is...

Happy Saturday!   It feels like a bit of a long day here.  I had a headache earlier and ended up sleeping it off and then working on some fundraiser cards that are on my to-do list.   I needed a bit of a fun break after dinner, so I grabbed my SSS August kit and did a bit of stamping.  I keep looking at it and hate to use the paper, but there's really no point in getting it if I need to save everything, right?!   So, tonight I cut it.  *gasp*  Just a simple card, but I am finally embracing the white and enjoy simple.   

Now I want some ice cream.  Sigh.   I keep hearing from my northern friends about them being cold and I just sit here sweating and being jealous.  I do miss being a bit north where there are seasons.  Texas is just hot, hotter, and then less humid.  

Laila's most favorite thing in the world right now is unpacking the grocery bags.   Her eyes light up and she hops up in the chair to dig in.  It's funny, but now she's learning what everything is and wants this or that immediately.  She found the granola bars today and oh man!  lol   She usually eats pretty well, like salmon, risotto, and broccoli last night, so we do let her have granola bars and trail mix as a treat sometimes.  I figure it's better than straight up candy.   I feel lucky that she eats as well as she does because I hear some horror stories from my friends about their food battles with their kids.   We have enough battles without adding another one.  Ha!  

Stampin' Up! Endless Wishes

I had a total "work day" today and managed to finish up my samples for my class and get all the supplies ordered.  Now I just need to finish up a set fo cards I'm donating to a silent auction and do birthday cards for my sister-in-law and my niece.   So much stamping!   This one was CASEd from a sample that Stampin' Up! posted back last year when this set was released.  It's such an awesome set and I am so glad it's going to be available again.  Just a couple more weeks to wait.

And here's my final version of this one we are making.   The last design still needs some things that are coming in my order, so I'll share it with you later.  

My little helper was having lunch when I took my pictures today, but she gave me some smiles to share.  :)  

AEIHeartU Kraft

I took a little break from "work stamping" to play along with the AEIHeartU Challenge and CAS(E) this Sketch.  I love kraft, so it was a perfect challenge for me; I think I also managed the sketch even though my sentiment is a bit different?  I wasn't sure and didn't originally link it because of that, but I decided to go back and do it since I did start out with the sketch.  I used the stars and sentiment from the AE Party Animal set.  The rest is just die cutting.   Easy, peasy!

Red is so perfect with kraft.  I think I would be happy to just stamp with those two colors forever.   Do you have a favorite color combination?   I normally like stamping with blues, so this has been a nice change for me.  Something different to mix things up.  :o) 

She just had to have me take her picture when she saw the camera.   We have had the best day today and I am so thankful.  We went out to lunch and then to Whole Foods.   I put her in the shopping cart that looks like a car and she "drove" all around the store.   Long nap, woke up happy, and is still laughing and playing. It hasn't been too bad of a week so far, so I hope this trend continues for a while.   

Stampin' Up! Festival of Trees

Freshly Made Sketches day!   It's my turn to host this week and I have a fun sketch (I think).   I had to use some of my new goodies from the upcoming holiday catalog because I am a bit in love with these trees!   I did have to pull out some retired designer paper, so forgive me on that.   I didn't have any current paper in Pool Party.   What?!  I love non-traditional Christmas colors and cards, so these trees are going to be a new favorite and will have a permanent spot on my shelf for sure!

You can interpret those strips in several different ways.  Be sure to check out the design team blog to see all the ideas that we came up with.   My card is *almost* all Stampin' Up!  My sequin addiction got the best of me in the end though.  

She saw me with my camera and asked me to take a picture.  She's so funny because she'll go stand but then keep moving backwards.   Bandit decided to photobomb I guess.  It was near bedtime and he gets a bit of wet food then, so he's pacing and waiting.  I don't see them much all day, but around seven every evening they all come out of hiding.  :o)    I'm typing this on Tuesday night and it has actually been an okay day.   For the past three to four months Tuesdays have been the day we both end up in tears by the end of the day.   I don't know what it is, but the cats are always bad and Laila has a rough time. It ends up just being crazy all around.   Today was good though and I am thankful.   Yesterday we got some great news about some health issues my dad has been having, so I also super thankful for that.  I hope he feels better soon and I'm REALLY hoping that my parents make a trip down soon.  I miss them and Laila does as well.

I'm off to read more of my book!  I can't decide if I want to read or stamp once she goes to bed, but reading is winning out tonight.  I'm worn out and ready to relax.

Stampin' Up! Festival of Trees

Laila has been taking a super long nap today, so I have had time to work on some samples for my upcoming class.  It usually takes me making quite a few before I narrow it down to the actual projects we'll make.  This one was inspired by a sample in the holiday catalog and I don't think it will make the cut.  I am going to try changing up a few things, so you'll see a different version (or two) in the future.  

Stamps:  Festival of Trees, Greetings of the Season
Ink:  White Craft, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight, Versamark
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Tools:  Hearts & Stars Decorative Masks, Tree Punch
Accessories:  Linen Thread, Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder

Greetings of the Season is one of the sets that you can still get right now.  Once the new holiday catalog starts on August 28th, that won't be the case. To see all the carryover items, look here.

She is back on the sunglasses kick!  lol   I love it.   She's also back into reading after a slight break, so I'm happy about that as well.   I don't always love reading the same book over and over, but whatever it takes to keep her love of books going.    I hear her up, so I'll stop here and go get my after-nap snuggles.  :)

Happy Mail

This might be my last of the Dare to Get Dirty cards.  I was hoping to do a bunch of stamping yesterday and today, but it just didn't happen.  Sometimes I wish I could just have an entire day to do what I want.  Maybe I should ask for that for my birthday or Christmas?  :-)   I never realized how much I'd miss peeing alone or silence!   I know time is short, so I try to remember that time alone and silence will come and probably before I'm ready for it.   Anyway... this is a pretty simple card.  I used the awesome bee from Nature Walk. It's retired, so I hope you have it in your stash.  Great set for sure.   I sponged some So Saffron and Crushed Curry over a Heidi Swapp stencil for my hexagons.  The awesome sentiment is from Winnie & Walter.  I love that big happy.  

Laila got a late birthday present from my cousin Kelly this week.  She had a blast opening it all up.  It was nice for a bit of a distraction.   It was not a good week in many, many ways.   She is on a fake crying kick and it is so exhausting.   Tuesday was horrible as usual and I ended up crying and wondering what I was doing having a child.   Lately I just feel pulled in so many directions and so behind on everything.  The house never stays clean no matter how hard I try to work on it.  The laundry usually gets done, but folded is another story.   If I fold with Laila here, she unfolds faster than I fold.  The cats and Jason add in a lot of mess as well.  I do what I can, but that means most of it is halfway done or not at all.  I am thankful to get to stay home with Laila, but sometimes I think going to work and hiring a house cleaner would be heaven.   I keep thinking that maybe it is time to give up Stampin' Up! so that I'm not pressured to hold events.  I'm trying to hang in there in hopes of Laila getting in to a mom's day out program.  We are first on the waiting list and I'm crossing everything that someone drops.

Enough rambling... the dishes are waiting.  I just wanted to get my card posted so I can have all my DTGD cards on Splitcoast.   Thanks for listening to my rambling.

Stampin' Up! Branch Out

I didn't get to stamp yesterday, but I still have another card that I haven't shared with you yet.  This is another Dare to Get Dirty challenge card. I don't know if I'll get anymore made for the challenges, but I've had a lot of fun so far.  For this one I used two favorite stamps, Hardwood and Branch Out (Thanks, Pat!).   The window is from my Cameo.  That thing sure comes in handy!   Chocolate Chip and Island Indigo are a very lovely color combination aren't they?

Laila's Hope Calendar pictures were yesterday and we got a little preview of them already.  They turned out great!   Debi is just such a great photographer.   After the pictures wasn't good and we had a bit of a rough day, but we survived and are here to try another day!

Post by Debi Gomez, Life's Images Photography.

Robots and Blackberry Bliss

Still working away at the Dare to Get Dirty challenges!   I am enjoying them and finding myself very motivated to stamp.  That's a good thing!    This one was super fun to make.  It uses a lot of stuff!  Stampin' Up! paper in Pacific Point and Basic Black, Lawn Fawn stamps, and some cuts from my Silhouette Cameo.  

Also for the challenges.  I LOVE this one.  I admit that I am not a fan of gold, but I am loving how it looks with Blackberry Bliss.   I totally recommend that you try that combination and soon.  :)  

With this new email program I have, I get notifications of when people subscribe and unsubscribe to my blog.  It seems to more of the latter lately and I feel bad.  I hope you guys aren't getting tired of Laila or my projects.  I am guessing it is partly because I've decided to branch out a bit and use a wide range of products instead of only Stampin' Up!   I'm still a demo and will be for a while, but I am now buying and stamping with what I like.   If it's SU, that's great...if it's not, that's great too.   This is really just a hobby for me and I'm just having fun.   I hope you'll continue to find inspiration in my work and remember, you can always be inspired and make it your own with whatever products YOU love.  :)