Monday, March 30, 2015

Happy Easter Flowers


Can you believe it's almost Easter?!   I wanted to get a few cards out in the mail tomorrow, so I'm trying to stamp up a few today.   I love this stamp set so much and it has been given my Copics quite a workout!   I found these funky rectangle dies in a box I had put away and thought they might be fun to use.   It's always fun to rediscover things you haven't seen in years.  lol

I'll be entering this in the MarkerPOP Easter challenge and the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge.  :)


Now I'm off to rest and read for just a bit while Laila finishes her quiet time.   I'm worn out and there's still laundry to fold and dinner to cook.   Yawn!   Good thing I planned an easy dinner night, huh? 

Monday Inspiration from Prickley Pear


It's Monday.   Yay?  No?   It's time for some Prickley Pear inspiration, so hopefully that makes it a little better.  :)   I went super simple with my card to show off these crazy birds.  This weekend I felt like the one on the bottom, but my mom is coming tomorrow.  I'm feeling like the purple one today!  Shooting for the blue one tomorrow.    lol

Stamps: EE0207 Rockin RobinJJ0090 Stacked Robins

I am off to finish up some cleaning!  Check out the blog for more inspiration.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Two Paper Divas Inspiration


I wasn't sure if I wanted to post this one or not, but I'm going to go ahead and put it out there.   I love this stamp from Two Paper Divas (called End of Your Rope) and have so many ideas to use it.  When I sat down to work on one idea, I found that I didn't have the supplies to do what I had envisioned.   I tried, but I don't think my card does this amazing sentiment justice.  You'll be seeing it again once I pick up some better "rope" to really get my idea working.  :)

I hope your weekend is going well. We are working around the house preparing for my mom to get here on Tuesday.  We are all excited, but there's lots to do before then!  Laila wants to help do EVERYTHING right now and that makes it all take way longer. She actually went to lay on her playroom floor and cry today when I wouldn't let her do the dishes.  Crazy!  One day she'll be crying because she HAS to do them.   We've been letting her, but she waited until I was down to the heavy pots and pans to ask today.

I'm also struggling a bit mentally again.  I had went to seeing my counselor every three weeks, but I think I'm going to go back to every two.  I need the support right now.   Laila will be going to Mother's Day Out for two days a week this Fall, so I am hoping that having that little break each week will help my sanity and allow me to catch up with all that I feel I'm always behind on.   So like the stamp says, I'm trying to tie a knot and hang on!

I'll see you back tomorrow with some stamping I'm doing with my club ladies.  We are having an informal meet up to just work on whatever, but I did figure out a project or two I wanted to share with them.


Laila had a blast with edamame this week.   (and you can see the stool that she drags around the kitchen to 'help' there in the background.)  lol   Grammy doesn't know what she's in for this trip! 

PPRS Inlaid Die Cut Tutorial


Today I want to share a tutorial for inlaid die cuts.   If you mail a lot of cards, this can come in handy because it will decrease the bulk of your card while also creating a really cool look!  You'll need at least one die, but you can layer multiples if you like.

Supplies:
Die Cut
Die Cutting Machine
Adhesive
Card stock
Stamps/Embellishments to finish the card


For this technique, you need to have an idea of what you want your finished card to look like so that you cut your paper correctly.  I wanted to recreate a card I'd made before, so that part was quick for me.  When you are starting from scratch, it might take a little longer.  The first step here was to cut the die cut from the colored card stock and then cut my base and layer.  I used watercolor paper for my second layer; with intricate dies like this beautiful Circular Pendant, the heavier paper seems to make this technique easier. 


Now you need to decide where you want your die cut on the second layer and lay down the die.  I used a bit of Post-It tape to keep it where I wanted it and then ran it through my Big Shot.


At this point I have my base, the watercolor paper layer with the die cut out, and the extra die cut that I did in the first step.   I also have the little pieces left from cutting the die from the watercolor paper.  You want to save those as you'll use them to fill back in.


There are a lot of options for this step, but for me the easiest way is to cover a piece of copy paper with some adhesive and add it behind the watercolor paper layer.  I then added the purple die cut and the little pieces of watercolor paper.  


And here's the result.  The die cut is completely inlaid in the watercolor paper!   Less bulk, less weight and kind of a wow! 


I stamped and cut out one of the cute circles from Circle Sets-Sentiments and added a sentiment from that same set.  A bit of ribbon and I have a cute, simple card that I can quickly mail off to a friend. 

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and I hope you'll give it a try.  

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Freshly Made Bunny

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!    The super sweet and talented Amy is our hostess this week.  I love the sketch she gave us.  The design team really came up with some fabulous ideas with it and I know you will as well.


Normally sketches with off-center things stress me out, but I enjoyed this one.   I think I've moved on to being stressed by tilted layers instead.  lol  


So much crazy in this one.  

Monday, March 23, 2015

Monday Inspiration from Prickley Pear

Monday again!  How does that happen so much?  lol  I have a little Prickley Pear card to share with you today.  I love this image so much and coudn't resist coloring it again.  It's such a fun one to practice using my Copics.  :)   I kept the rest of the card simple so that the image remained the focus.
Stamps:  HH0173 Boy with Airplane

I didn't get much stamping done over the weekend.  My shoulder has been bugging me so I tried to take it easy and rest.  It seems to feel a little better this morning, so I hope to get some crafty time in today.   My mom will be coming to visit next week, so lots of cleaning and getting ready for that to fill the week as well.

Be sure to check out the blog for more inspiration today!

Friday, March 20, 2015

TPD Handy Guy


Happy Friday!   I wanted to share a card I made for Two Paper Divas.  It uses a newer set called You Are a Handy Guy and it is perfect for those handy dudes in your life.  I love coloring the images and I think you will as well.  :)  They would also be fun to paper piece if you like that better than coloring.


She needed me to take her picture while I had the camera out.  lol  She's so silly!  We are off to Costco to pick up pictures and dinner.  I am getting ready to dive into Project Life, so stay turned for that!  I am pretty clueless, but I'm going to try.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

FMS Party Animal


It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!   The amazingly talented Narelle is our hostess this week and she has a great sketch.  I was so excited to play along with it because it worked so well with my new Blueprints dies!   I love when things work out like that.  I didn't think they were going to arrive in time to use, but they showed up on Monday!  :o)
The design team has a fun mix of cards for this week, so be sure you go by the blog and see all the great inspiration! 

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Two Paper Divas Lucky Me


Happy St. Paddy's Day!   I hope you are wearing your green!  :)   Two Paper Divas is still celebrating, so I have another card for you using the Lucky Me set.  Don't forget to visit everyone and comment for your chance to win the set!   It's a good one!

2)  Rita Wright  (me!)
5) Two Paper Divas

My card is pretty simple, but I love the bright pops of green.   I am enjoying using gray and green together lately.  Maybe it's all these top hats in this set?  lol  

Have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow with a masculine card for Freshly Made Sketches.



Monday, March 16, 2015

Monday Prickley Pear Inspiration


It's time for some Monday Inspiration from Prickley Pear!   It's almost time for Easter (my favorite holiday), so I thought I'd showcase this gorgeous tulip stamp today.   The sentiment is a part of the stamp, so it's so perfect for Easter cards.   I was in a purple mood, so we'll say purple tulips equals Easter, okay?  lol

Stamps:  GG0210 Easter Flowers

Be sure to check out the blog for a lot more inspiration.

Two Paper Divas Lucky Me



Today at Two Paper Divas we are celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a blog hop!  We are featuring the Lucky Me set and one lucky person who comments on the hop will win the set for themselves.  Super fun, right?!  Yay!  Will you be the lucky one?!  There's also a free template for a top hat over on the TPD blog, so you need to swing by and pick that up too!

Check out all the other inspiration:
2)  Rita Wright  (me!)

Good luck and gave a lucky day tomorrow! Don't forget to wear your green so you don't get pinched.  Ha!

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Stampin' Up! Indescribable Gift


I'm sure you've noticed that I seem to be neglecting my Stampin' Up! stamps lately.   I realized today that I actually had some that I'd never inked up!  Gasp!  That's just unacceptable.   My new goal for Sunday is to make a card using Stampin' Up! stamps.  I might sneak in my Copics like I did here, but the Washi tape, button, and twine are all SU.  :)  I never seem to be great about keeping a goal to post a certain something a day of the week, but I'll try!  Promise!   My goal is to do that, but also to CASE the catalog!   For this card I used a card from the Occasions catalog.


I liked the banner and the Washi tape down the side, so I used those elements along with the button/twine for my card.   There are many wonderful layouts in the catalog, so give one a shot! 

Stamps:  Stampin' Up! Indescribable Gift, Butterfly Basics
Ink:  Memento Black, Copics
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Daffodil Delight
Accessories:  SU Neutral Buttons (retired), SU Crushed Curry Baker's Twine, SU Gingham Garden Washi tape (retired)


I'll see you tomorow with two posts! :) 

Friday, March 13, 2015

Two Paper Divas Sweet Blossom


A little inspiration from Two Paper Divas today.  I love this Sweet Blossom flower so much.  It was super fun to color and it's just cute.  I can see it working for girls of all ages!   I used a sentiment from Banners #2 to finish it off.   I'm entering this into the MarkerPOP challenge this week since it is Anything Goes.  :)   The stitched tag is a set of tags from My Favorite Things and the banner and rectangle are a MFT Blueprints set.  I LOVE stitched dies.

Challenge #64 - Anything Goes

I hope you had a wonderful Friday! It's our 11th anniversary, so we went out to dinner and will be sharing a little cake after Laila's in bed.  Thankfully she was good at the restaurant, so while not romantic, it was still nice.   My steak was perfectly cooked and our appetizer was yummy.  And, NO DISHES!  Woo Hoo!


When I uploaded my pictures, I was a bit shocked at this one.  I forget how big she's getting.  Almost three!  How did that happen?!

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Freshly Made Flower

It's Wednesday and time for a new sketch from the fabulous Karren at Freshly Made Sketches!  After many failed attempts, I finally got something I could post today.   I don't know what is going on, but I can't seem to create anything lately.  It's starting to really bug me!   I just want to color, which is also a bit of a struggle.  I keep thinking I need to take a break, but I'm afraid if I do, I will just quit stamping!  


I hope you enjoy the sketch and will come join us this week!   

My sweet girl.  She wanted me to take her picture after I photographed my card yesterday.  :)   It was raining, so we had a pajama day and were lazy girls yesterday.  

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Friday Mashup 200


Two of my favorite online stamping friends are part of The Friday Mashup, so I had to go play with their 200th challenge celebration this week.   For my card I chose challenges #121 (polka dots and the word Happy) and #59 (ribbon/bow and a decorative edge).   I used the March kit from Simon Says stamp again because I kinda love it.  :)  The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge of girly cards is still going on, so I'm linking up over there as well.



I'll see you tomorrow with a Freshly Made Sketches card. Maybe...  I can't get the picture to look halfway decent, so I might run away this week!  lol 

Monday, March 9, 2015

Prickley Pear Monday Inspiration

It seems like we have too much cold rainy weather lately, so I wanted to make a happy card for Prickley Pear this week.  The bright colors and pops of yellow help bring a little cheer!

Stamps:  FF0185 Striped FlowerFF0186 You are My Sunshine

Check out the blog for more inspiration! 

And sorry for the short post today.  I am not feeling so great thanks to this weather.  I seem to keep a sinus-related headache when the weather changes.  Yay for allergies and sinus trouble.  lol 

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Ties for Two Paper Divas


Two Paper Divas is releasing new stamps this weekend and there are some great "guy" stamps!   I know I never have enough masculine stamps, so I was super excited by this release.   For my card today I used For a Special Guy.  It's a great set with 3 ties and 2 sentiments.

I had a blast coloring the ties with my Copics.   I really love my markers.  They are not something I ever imagined myself owning, but I am thankful that Jason got me started with them.  :)  

Enjoy your weekend and hopefully I'll keep my streak of posting every day this month and be back with a card tomorrow!

Friday, March 6, 2015

Bears for Mojo Monday


Do you ever see a stamp set that just grabs you?   This set from Mama Elephant did that for me.  The images are so sweet and the sentiments even make my eyes water.  ;)   This was my first attempt at coloring the sweet bears.   I used the layout from Mojo Monday to make them into a card.


I am feeling refreshed today after a fun day out with friends yesterday.  We got pedicures and had lunch.  So nice!    I am loving my Bermuda Bay polish on my toes.  :)  

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Simon Says Stamp Flowers


The card kit from Simon Says Stamp is so delightful this month.  Black, yellow, and gray are one of my favorite color combinations, so I HAD to get it.  I wasn't sure about these flowers at first, but after using them I really like them!  :)   I made this card for the Wednesday challenge at Simon Says Stamp as it was for a girly/special lady this week.  


She's getting so big and so grown up.   Her little independent streak is going strong now!

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Freshly Made Bright Monsters


Wednesday!  Time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.   Cindy tossed us a curve this week with a long and skinny card!   I don't usually make these, but the team held my hand and talked me through the measurements.  lol   I used my cute little monsters from Lawn Fawn because they just seemed to fit perfectly.   I colored them some bright colors with my Copics so that I could also play along with the challenge at MarkerPOP.  

MarkerPop! Challenge #63: Bright Colors

I hope you'll come play along with us!   Try your hand at a different sized card along with us.  :)

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Butterflies and Bokeh


I think I promised to share our second club project with the butterfly dies today.   I had a small group this time, so we focused on learning the watercolor background and bokeh technique.   I hope they enjoyed it.    I was totally inspired to do this after seeing my friend Jen Timko's gorgeous background.  I just loved the colors and tried a version.  I used a bit different ones from her, but I think it produced the same vibe.  I over bokehed mine.  I think I was just having too much fun with my daubers and forgot to stop!  lol   My background is Crushed Curry, Crisp Cantaloupe, and Calypso Coral.   Splitcoast just did a tutorial on this if you are interested in trying it for yourself.  :)

I'll see you again tomorrow with a Freshly Made Sketches card!

Monday, March 2, 2015

Monday Inspiration from Prickley Pear


If you love to color, today's Monday inspiration from Prickely Pear is for you!   I just love this cute image and it is so fun to color.  My plan is to keep practicing and eventually give my birds more texture.   It will be a great stamp to progress my coloring skills.  :)    I did love how this one turned out so much that I left my card simple to really highlight it.

Stamps:  DD0231 Happy Spring 3HH0176 Singing Bluebirds

Be sure to check out the blog for more inspiration!

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Cheering for Sunday Stamps


This Sunday I have the honor of being a guest over at Sunday Stamps!   They have an awesome sketch challenge and I really enjoyed creating with it.   I couldn't resist using the Cheerful Critters set again.   It is seriously the most adorable set that Stampin' Up! has released in a while.  I just love it!


See?  Awesome sketch!   You can layer it up as much as you wish, or keep it fairly simple like I did.  I am totally addicted to using my stitched dies, so I find myself grabbing those instead of adding layer after layer.