SCS Swipe Your Credit Card

Getting in a last post for the month.  :)  I am finding the challenges on Splitcoast helpful to get back in the groove of stamping.  This card was made for their Monday technique challenge.  Karen has a fun technique this week and I loved her card.  I decided to make a version of hers just to get the hang of the technique.  I can't wait to try it again now!  I love the result! I love swiping my credit card without having to pay it back. Go give the technique a shot and see how you like it!

We had a Silver-Spotted Skipper visit today.  So cute!  We also had a Monarch visit and leave eggs.  More babies!  :) Yay! I'm off to collect the eggs and see how many she left us.

Papertrey Ink Make it Monday 286

Today's Papertrey Ink Make It Monday challenge was to make a coordinating pair of cards.  Same supplies, different look.  I love this Mum's the Word set and thought it would be fun to use for the challenge.  I think they are different enough.  I love the colors.  I know we are about to start Summer, but man!  Fall is my season and I am ready for it already.  :)

I was going to add embellishments, but I actually liked the plain cards.

I'm off to make a Costco list and see what other errands I need to run.  I tried a trip out earlier and was able to do one out of three on my list.  It seems to be that way lately.  Either something I need is out of stock or in today's case, the overnight return at the library was broken.  Grr!

IC599: Stampin' Up! Butterfly Basics

I sat down to stamp today and yet again, felt lost on what to make.  I decided to go back to where I started, Splitcoast Stampers.  I haven't been over there for a while, but there are always great challenges.  Today's challenge is the Inspiration Challenge.  There's a link to a Pinterest board of gorgeous baskets to take inspiration from.  I chose this basket and wanted to use the Butterfly Basics stamp set.  I am in a mood to use butterflies and cats.  I actually NEED some cat stamps, so I'm on the lookout for some cute ones.  :) I have a lot of cat loving friends I like to make cards for but not that many choices to use.

The background is the Watercolor Wash background from Stampin' Up! I find it fun to play around with that one to see what looks you can get.  I inked it with Smoky Slate, stamped off, and then sprayed lightly with water before stamping on watercolor paper.  I liked the look. I used that same method on the fern stems.

I'm off to figure out dinner.  Jason finished up Laila's playset today, so he's tired.  I haven't felt the best, but I think I can handle cooking some hot dogs.  :)

Have a great weekend. zIC

Stampin' Up! Lacy & Lovely

One more playing around card.  I love this Lacy & Lovely set and I haven't inked it up in ages.  I found a pretty distress ink combination that I thought would be fun with it.  It didn't turn out that great, but it was more my design than the colors or stamps.  I just can't find my mojo.  :/  If you see it, send it home!

It's been a rough parenting day.  So much defiance.  Yesterday was amazing and awesome, but today has been something else.  We did have three Monarchs eclose and releasing them was at least one highlight for the day.  She starts play therapy on Thursday, so I'm hoping that will help.  I am so nervous about her starting kindergarten.  I just don't think it is going to go well.  She's already asking what happens if she doesn't listen to the teacher.  Sigh.  We are meeting with the principal on Friday to talk about her and her needs.  I hate to get in and sound negative about her, but I do want to be honest.  She is going to be a challenge.  She is also so smart and will be an amazing student if we can get her issues under control.  I hope they can see that.  She gets labeled "that kid" a lot already and I'm probably guilty of doing it myself on the exhausting days like today.  She's way more than that and I just want people to see that.  To see the amazing parts.  

Stampin' Up! Oh Hello

Thought I'd share a card I made this week.  I've been so exhausted, so my creativity stays in bed I think.  I decided to randomly pull a couple sets off my Stampin' Up! shelf to play with, so I did make a couple cards. Nothing exciting, but I tried.  I used the Color Coach for a color combo of Pear Pizzazz, Smoky Slate, and Pool Party.  The layer of gray is actually the Hardwood background stamp.  Hopefully a trip to the doctor will clear up what's going on with me.  I picked up some liquid iron supplements at the store today just in case I'm anemic again.  That's and vitamin D deficient was the culprit last time.

Jason has been working all weekend putting together one of those large outdoor wooden playsets for Laila.  It will be her birthday present from us and my family.  Today was day three and he's still not finished. He did get the swings and slides ready, so she can play for now.  He'll have to wait until he's off again to work on the roof of it. What a project.  She loves it though.

I'm off to do some laundry and maybe have a coffee.  There's a new podcast episode I wanted to listen to, so relaxing to that and a coffee sounds like the perfect way to end a weekend.

Have a great week!

Freshly Made Sketches 288

Back with a new card.  I treated myself to a new sunflower stamp last week and wanted to use it.  It was so fun to color!  I used it for this week's new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  My card deviates from it some, but it was closer to begin with.  The yellow polka dot paper was on crooked so I tore the original apart and redid it.  I somehow ended up shifting the image more towards the middle, so...  Jen M., our hostess, says I'm forgiven, so I went ahead and posted it.

It's been a long day, so I'm headed to bed.  I hope everyone is having a wonderful week.  Laila and I have had a few nature walks, so we've enjoyed the outdoors.  The snakes not so much, but the rest was fun.  :) 

Freshly Made Sketches 287

I woke up early one day over the weekend and thought I'd try to play along with my friends at Freshly Made Sketches.  For some reason they keep me on the team roster even though I spend all my time on the bench.  :)  Jen T had a fun sketch that immediately made me think of this cute set from Simon Says Stamp.  It came together and I love the result.  :) Yay!

I'm off to have my coffee and see how much of A Handmaid's Tale I can watch before Laila wakes up.  I hate that Hulu only releases one episode at a time, but I do love Wednesdays now.  :) 

Greeting Farm Magical Friends

Happy May! I can't believe I haven't posted at all this month.  It looks like this drought of creativity is going to last for a while.  I don't know what to do about it, so I'm just not pressuring myself and waiting see what happens.  We did have a birthday party on Saturday, so I made a card for that.  The birthday girl is a very girly girl who loves unicorns, so I hope she liked it.  :) 

We are still raising caterpillars and releasing butterflies.  We had two pretty ladies eclose today.  They were perfect and flew off to their next destination.  It always amazing to hold one and see the beauty of them in your hand.  I hate to think that they only live 6 weeks, but I hope we are helping to keep the population going.  A very small percentage of eggs (estimates are around 5%) survive outside to become butterflies, so we are giving them a better chance than they'd have out there.  Wasps are bad this year, so any caterpillars that aren't found and brought inside are killed by those.  :(  I know the circle of life and all that, but it still makes me sad.  

Anyway...  

Have a great week!