Stampin' Up! Zoo Babies for HSS

I have been having a rough week emotionally, so I tried to find some time to stamp today.   I loved the sketch at Hand Stamped Sentiments, so I used it to get me started.  I'm not sure where the Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight combination came from, but it looks happy to me.

Stamps:  Zoo Babies, Tape It, Happiest Birthday Wishes (retired)

Ink:  Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight

Paper:  Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight Coredinations, Whisper White

Tools:  Big Shot, Alphabet Press embossing folder, Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, and Mat

Laila got her own little box of goodies today!   We tried out a monthly subscription thing for her and it came today.   We probably won't keep it, but it was fun to get one and let her open it.  The sun hat will definitely come in handy next week as her grandma is coming down and wants to take her for some rides in her wagon! 

Smarty Pants Graduation Card

I thought I'd share one of the cards we made at hostess club last night.   We finished out this round with some cards using the soon-to-be-available (gasp!) Sale-a-bration sets.   I used the sketch at Hand Stamped Sentiments as my template for this one.  Sorry for the bad picture; I snapped it this morning while the card was still on the stamping table.  :)

I am just in love with this stamp set and the Sycamore Street DSP and ribbon.   I would love the buttons as well but they seemed to have grown legs and walked right out of my craft room!   Island Indigo is one of my absolute favorite colors and I'm trying not to think about it retiring soon.   :(   I think I'll have a pity party on June 1st for a few minutes before I get all excited about the new stuff coming up.   Anyway, I used a Happy Graduation sentiment inside because it looked like that would work.   

Stamps:  Patterned Occasions

Ink:  Island Indigo

Paper:  Island Indigo, Whisper White, Pool Party, Sycamore Street DSP

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Stripes embossing folder, Perfect Pennants die, Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch,  Sycamore Street Ribbon

Laila is still dealing with a runny nose and is now coughing a little too.  I hope it will clear up soon.   She had her Easter pictures yesterday and oh man!   That was the first time we've had pictures made since she could sit up and really grab things.  I hope the photographer got a few good shots because most of the session she was grabbing the props or trying to crawl.  lol  It was funny and frustrating at the same time.  I'll be sure to share some of them when we get our CD.   

On Thursday I was sitting at my desk stamping while she rolled around behind me playing.  I looked back and she was sitting up!!!!  I totally missed it too!   She finally did it again yesterday so that I could see.   She's all over the floor (no official crawling, but moving around great) and now sitting up too!   They grow so fast don't they?!   I just cry when I think about it too much.  

Melon Birthday Birds

  

Sunday mornings are a favorite of mine and I am up early enjoying the next to last one I have before Laila arrives.   I can't help but wonder if she'll be an early bird like me or sleep in like Jason.   Since I've craved all the foods that HE likes, I'm thinking she's going to be like her daddy.  :)    I had wanted to stamp last night but we started watching Game of Thrones and then I got caught up reading Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (I know!  What?!).  Thankfully I still remembered the card I wanted to make when I woke up this morning.   It combines the fun colors at Dynamic Duos with the bird challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments.

Something I learned while making this... Staz-On before 8am is not necessarily a good idea, nor is fussy cutting.  :)   I powered through my issues and finished it though.   Aviary is one of those sets that had been on my wishlist for ages and ages and I finally got it on my last order.    I just love how cute it is!   I love it in these colors too!   Off topic, but does anyone else always want to call it Mambo Melon or is that just me?

Stamps:  Aviary, Something to Celebrate (retired)

Ink:  Staz-on Black, Melon Mambo

Paper:  Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Cheerful Treat DSP

Tool/Accessories:  Stamp-a-ma-jig, Basic Pearls, Black satin ribbon (retired)

HSSCC121: Yellow Flowers

The challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week is totally Laila's colors so I just had to play along!   I needed to get some thank you cards made for all the lovely gifts my friends have been sending and this was the perfect challenge for that.   :)  

For this one I used more new goodies from my last order.    The flower images are from a stamp set called Reason to Smile and will be a great promotion for July!   Be sure to check back in July for the details on that; it will definitely make you smile.  :)    I also used the new Finishing Touches Edgelits for the cute little border on the Daffodil Delight layer.   I just love these colors together!   

Stamps:  Reason to Smile, Petite Pairs

Ink:  Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Going Gray

Paper:  Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Going Gray, Whisper White, Neutrals DSP stack

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Finishing Touches Edgelits, Basic Gray 3/8 taffeta ribbon (retired), Stamp-a-ma-jig

Before I go, I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from the nursery.  Last club meeting we were discussing the letters that I had bought and what to do with them.   A couple of the ladies had the idea to cover them in fabric and my sweet friend Shannon took on the task!   Didn't she do an amazing job?!   I love them!   Below is a Pinterest inspired project.   I needed some inexpensive decor and thought the fabric covered embroidery hoops were perfect!  They are fun and made one of the short plain walls a bit more festive.  :)

HSS Mojo Dino

Two cards?!  I decided I should stamp while I was feeling better, so I went back to my room and worked on another challenge card.  This one uses the sketch from Mojo Monday and the challenge from Hand Stamped Sentiments to go masculine!  I wanted to do something fun, so I pulled out Dinoroar and did a kid's version of a Father's Day card.   I used a fun color combination, Poppy Parade, Not Quite Navy, and Crumb Cake.   Kinda cute, huh?  :)

Stamps: Dinoroar, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze Lucky Limeade

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, In Color Hostess Stack (retired)

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Houndstooth embossing folder, Tasteful Trim die, blender pen, Not Quite Navy 3/8 Taffeta ribbon

FMS meets HSS

Time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  The super funny Linda Callahan is our hostess and sketch designer this week.  She definitely challenged me with this one.  I made two cards and am still not loving either one of them.   I think the allergy/sinus headaches I've been battling have really done a number on my stampin' mojo.   I stocked up on some new medicines today, so fingers crossed that they work.   I've learned that headaches and pregnancy are not friends; the best (aka helpful) medicines are all off-limits!

Here's the card that I squeaked out tonight using the colors from this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge:

PSE always does funky things with Soft Suede for some reason, but it doesn't look so green in person.  It isn't what I envisioned in my head, but I didn't feel like going back and redoing it tonight.   A hot shower and a decaf chai tea latte are calling my name instead.  Such dedication, huh?  :)

Stamps:  Button Buddies, Petite Pairs

Ink:  Real Red

Paper:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Very Vanilla, Neutral DSP stack

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Perfect Polka dots and Stripes embossing folders, circle punches, scallop circle punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Crumb Cake taffeta ribbon, Brights buttons, White Baker's Twine, basic pearls

I'll share the first card I made with the sketch on Thursday.  :)

Lovely Fall Colors

Ann presented an interesting challenge at the Paper Players this week:  make a card with plants or animals.   I thought about using my Sock Monkey stamp, but since it seems that nobody loves him but me, I went with another favorite set, Lovely as a Tree!   I figured French Foliage needed a rest, but I still wanted to use this awesome color combination that I seem to be stuck on.   It's a great way to use up those two packs of More Mustard that I accidentally ordered last year!   :)   I also used a fun technique called thumping to get those pretty colors on my tree.   If you like beating things, it's totally the technique for you!   Just don't abuse your markers or stamps too much.    My layout comes from this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.   Lesley made two cards using it, so I figured I'd try to keep up.   Finally, the challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments was to impress with embossing!

Stamps:  Lovely as a Tree
Ink:  More Mustard, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze
Paper:  Naturals White, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Neutrals DSP stack
Tools/Accessories:  Jewelry Tag punch, Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Early Espresso taffeta ribbon (retired),  that punch with the really long name (Dotted Scalloped Ribbon Border Punch I think?)

And speaking of animals, can someone please tell me how this could even remotely be comfortable?

Triple Challenge for Fall

       

Look at all these fun challenges!   Even though it has been too hot in Texas to really be thinking of Fall, it is my favorite season.   Watching the leaves turn is one of the few things that I miss about living in Kentucky.   There's nothing like seeing the mountains ablaze in red, yellow, and orange.   Anyway, my friend Kathy made a gorgeous card this week where she combined French Foliage, En Francais, and emboss resist.    I thought I'd try that too, but in the fall colors.   (I like hers better because the Rich Razzleberry is so unexpected and one of my favorite colors.)   I used ideas from three challenges, this week's Card Pattern's Sketch, the autumn challenge at The Friday Mashup, and the fall challenge from Hand Stamped Sentiments.

I hope you like the Spice Cake designer paper because I can tell I'm going to be using it a lot!  :o)    It is just so pretty and perfect for fall projects.   For my leaves, I inked them in Versamark and then More Mustard before using my sponge daubers to add a bit of Cajun Craze and Early Espresso.   Once I stamped them, I embossed them with clear embossing powder so that I could use the emboss resist technique.   I stamped En Francais and some other elements from French Foliage over them to add some interest.  To finish it all off, I added some Early Espresso Baker's Twine and some tags.   You'll find hints of distressing and sponging as well; these colors inspire me to do a bit of that for some reason.

Here's a close-up of one of  leaves...doesn't it look real?!   I love it!

Stamps:  French Foliage, Tiny Tags, En Francais
Ink:  Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Early Espresso, Versamark, Soft Suede
Paper:  Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Spice Cake designer paper
Tools/Accessories:  Heat Tool, Clear Embossing Powder, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Jewelry Tag punch, sponge daubers

HSSC83 CAS

The designers at Hand Stamped Sentiments challenged us to keep it simple this week and make a clean and simple card.    I don't know why we call it simple...   I think these type of cards are by far the hardest to design.   I never know at what point I cross the "simple" line and end up on the wrong side of the tracks.   Clean I can do with my eyes closed, but simple?    Much harder.    I'm not sure if this card is too simple, but I do like it.   Don't tell my Woodland Walk paper, but I think Spice Cake might be my new favorite designer paper.  It is so yummy!    I finally used my I-MUST-HAVE-THEM-OR-I-MIGHT-DIE tags die for this one.   We won't talk about how many times I've used them since I had to buy them.  :)  

Stamps:  Day of Gratitude

Ink:  Soft Suede, Pool Party

Paper:  Soft Suede, Pool Party, Spice Cake DSP, Very Vanilla

Accessories:  Linen Thread, Regals buttons

Tools:  Big Shot, Lots of Tags, oval punch

Bandit always seems to be the photogenic cat in the house, but here's one of his sister, Bella.   She's my shadow.  If I go, she goes.  If I am on the couch, she is on the couch.   I think I could pet her until her fur all fell out and she'd be perfectly happy to be bald because the petting was so good.