Tuesday Morning Sketch 384

I've just been creating up storm.  I don't know when it will stop, but I'll keep going.  Fingers crossed I can keep it up.  :)   Yesterday I worked on a card for the Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge and had a rough time.  I scrapped my first effort and started over.  I'm so glad I did because I love this one.  I grabbed an older Stampin' Up! set called Papillon Potpourri and a Simon Says Stamp set, Hand Lettered Winter Wishes.  I went with an orange and black theme and hoped it didn't get too Halloweenish.  It's always rolling the dice when you use just those two colors.

I've been invaded by a cute little girl, so I have to exit the room before she knocks anything else off my desk.  Oops! 

Stampin' Up! Papillon Potpourri

Here's the second Pinterest-inspired card we'll be making tomorrow.   I loved this card and was lucky enough to have the same embossing folder.  It was a bit dusty and I'm not sure I'd even used it before.   It makes for a very pretty background, so I need to remember that I have it more often.  :)  I used a couple Stampin' Up! sets, Papillon Potpourri and Petite Pairs.  I colored the butterflies with Blendabilities markers.

I had a nice mommy break yesterday.   Lunch alone and then my volunteer time with the kitties.  It was a little time away and just enough to recharge.  I keep getting horrible headaches this week, so I ended up with another one once I got home.  I think they are sinus/allergy related, but I'm not sure because they are getting close to migraine level.   We seem to be getting a lot of weather changes, so maybe they will go away after Fall truly settles in.  Laila had a sweet day yesterday with lots of hugs and kisses for us, so yay for that. :)   Oh, if you like to try new recipes, let me recommend this one that we had last night!  Baked Pumpkin French Toast was a Pinterest WIN!

Stampin' Up! Summer Silhouettes with Hardwood

I thought I'd share a card we are making in my class tomorrow.  I love how it turned out so, so much!  I did a Calypso Coral version as well that's a bit different, so I'll try to snap a picture and post it tomorrow.   I am really in love with the Hardwood Background!  It's SOOOO awesome!  

Laila got a new swimsuit yesterday and some shoes that can get wet!  She's been having so much fun with her water table and swimming pool.  Unfortunately that fun involves getting her clothes and shoes soaked, so we decided to try the bathing suit and swim shoes yesterday.   Of course she didn't pour the water out everywhere or jump in the pool.   I guess that only happens when she's not dressed for it.  lol

Blooming with Thanks

  

Believe it or not, I stamped AGAIN!   I'm trying to work on challenges and having fun again.   It seems to be working too.  Yay!  I appreciate those of you who have taken the time to leave encouraging comments or sent emails.  I appreciate it so, so much.   I also have some news to share! :)  I was chosen as a display stamper for Convention 2013.  I got the email yesterday evening and am so excited...and nervous.  I won't get to go to Convention to see them in person, but my friends are under strict orders to take lots of pictures.

Now on to the card... I combined the fun new sketch at Try Stampin' on Tuesday with the awesome colors at Dynamic Duos.  

I actually like this one.  :)   I don't normally say that, but I think the flower from Blooming with Kindness just makes me happy.  It's just so pretty!   I added a cute little butterfly from Papillion Potpourri and a sentiment from Fabulous Phrases.   Three great sets are bound to make a lovely card aren't they?  

Stamps: Fabulous Phrases, Blooming with Kindness, Papillion Potpourri

Ink: Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie

Paper:  Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Brights DSP stack, misc. retired Bashful Blue DSP

Accessories:  Bashful Blue 3/8 Taffeta ribbon, Basic Pearls

Tools: Big Shot, Scallop Circles #2 die, 3 inch circle die, Scallop Border punch, Petite Butterfly punch

Someone has outgrown their mat.  lol  I don't know why she wanted to get on it yesterday, but it was cute.  We've had a much better day today thank goodness.  She was up crying for over an hour at 3am last night though.  I took her to the doctor today just to make sure nothing was wrong.   She's fine, so no clue what's causing her to be so fussy.  Hopefully it goes away and soon!!!! We are now on week two of cloth diapers and still learning by trial and error about those.  A few more kinks to work out and I'll be 100% in love.  I'm at about 93% now.  ;)

Be sure to come back tomorrow for a new card for Freshly Made Sketches! 

Display Stamper Tryout

When I saw that Stampin' Up! was looking for display stampers, I decided to go for it!   To try out, we were to make 3 card fronts, 2 3-D items, and a scrapbook page.   I hope you'll enjoying seeing all my work and will keep your fingers crossed for me!  :)

Don't you just love this?  I adore how it turned out and I've been dying to post it!   I had so much fun coloring the poppies and even got to do it an extra time on my butterfly.  A sponge dauber and an ink pad transformed my white paper doily into an Island Indigo one that looks perfect nestled on my embossed Pool Party panel.  Love, love, love!

Stamps:  Pleasant Poppies, Fabulous Florets
Ink:  Island Indigo, Pool Party, Jet Black Stazon
Paper:  Island Indigo, Pool Party, Whisper White card stock
Accessories:  Basic Pearls, Tea Lace Paper Doilies
Tools:  Big Shot, Lacy Brocade TIEF, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, Beautiful Wings Embosslit die, 3-inch circle die, Paper Snips

I changed up a little for this one and went vintage and distressed.   I like to break out of my "clean" comfort zone sometimes and do a bit of sponging and distressing.    I always find distressing to be good for "de"stressing.  ;)  I know, I'm a dork.  Anyway, I just love how cute this turned out.  Neutrals are fun to work with and can look amazing together.

Stamps:  Patterned Occasions (SAB)
Ink:  Soft Suede (marker and ink pad)
Paper:  Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla card stocks, Neutrals Designer Series Paper Patterns stack
Accessories:  Very Vanilla seam binding, Neutrals Designer Buttons, Early Espresso Baker's Twine
Tools:  Big Shot, Lots of Tags sizzlits, Extra Large Oval punch, Scallop Edge border punch, Stampin' Distress Tool, Stampin' Sponges, Color Spritzer Tool, Paper Snips

And now back to a more clean-and-simple card...   I love banners and pinwheels, so I combined them into this very fun birthday card.  The Color Coach helped me pick out a great masculine color combination and I let my tools do all the work! 

Stamps:  Itty Bitty Banners

Ink:  Midnight Muse

Paper:  Midnight Muse, Marina Mist, Gumball Green, Whisper White card stock, Print Poetry Designer Paper

Accessories:  Neutrals Glimmer Brads

Tools:  Big Shot, Bitty Banners Framelit dies, Pinwheel Sizzlit, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper Piercing Tool

I loved working with those colors so much from that last card that I decided to use them for one of my 3-D items.   I thought about using my dies to make a cute box, but my Simply Scored was feeling a bit lonely so I decided to go a bit old-school and whip up a 2-4-6-8 box.  I stayed with the flag idea from the card and added a ton of them to my sticks.   I punched the day away making my Quint-essential flower with lots of layers and bling.  

Stamps:  Itty Bitty Banners
Ink:  Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Marina Mist
Paper: Gumball Green, Marina Mist, Midnight Muse, Whisper White card stock, Perfect Polka Dots and Print Poetry designer papers
Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals
Tools:  Big Shot, Bitty Banners framelit dies, Hearts a Flutter framelit dies, 2 3/8 and 1 3/4 scallop circle punches, 1, 3/4, 1/2 circle punches

(sorry for the big picture; it was the only way you could see it really well)

My second 3-D item is my other favorite.  It was a labor of love and I hope my little girl will enjoy it hanging in her room for a while.  It was hard to take pictures of it, but I tried.  :)    I love all the shimmer and sparkle and of course the colors.  Below is a close-up so you can see more of the details. 

Stamps:  Broadsheet Alphabet, Papillion Potpourri
Ink:  Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Versamark
Paper:  Basic Gray, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White card stock, Brights  and Neutrals Designer Serious Paper Patterns stacks
Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Basic Gray/Basic Black 1 1/4 Two-Tone Ribbon
Tools:  Big Shot, Perfect Pennants die, Beautiful Butterflies die, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Circles #2 die, 1 3/4 circle punch

And finally, my scrapbook page (which didn't seem to want to photograph well).  I wanted to share one of the most special days of my life so I picked this photo that my anesthesiologist took of our little family on Laila's birthday.   I hope you can see the pure joy on our faces as we were so happy to have our little girl here.  So was most definitely "Worth the Wait".  

Stamps:  Word Play, Sweet Essentials, Hearts a Flutter
Ink:  Island Indigo, Pool Party
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Island Indigo card stock, Neutrals and 2011-2013 In Colors Designer Series Paper Patterns stack
Accessories:  Artisan Embellishments Kit, Basic Pearls, Pool Party Baker's Twine, Tea Lace Paper Doilies
Tools:  Big Shot, Tasteful Trim die, Hearts a Flutter Framelit dies, Paper Snips

And because I always end my posts with a peek of my sweetie, here's one of her recent Easter pictures.

Thanks for looking over all my projects.   

Birthday Bash 2013

Don't you hate it when you need a birthday card at the last minute and can't find one in your card stash?   In this class we'll be making a variety of birthday cards so that you'll have some on hand.   If you have plenty of birthday cards already, some of the designs can also be made into thank you cards.   Just be sure to let me know you'd like some different sentiments and I'll put out some stamp sets for you to choose from.

This class is a bit different than my previous ones in that you can make as many or as few of each card as you want.   There is a minimum of 10 cards to attend the event, but you are welcome to make more if you'd like.   Please email me by noon on Friday which cards you'd like to make and how many of each so that I can get your packet ready for you.  

Cost is $20 for the first 10 cards, $2 for each additional card.  

Here are the choices:

Card #1:  Birthday Circles

Card #2: Birthday Leaves

Card #3:  Birthday Butterflies

Card #4:  Shabby Birthday

 Card #5:  Birthday Cheers

Classy Butterflies

I thought I'd share the other card I made on Valentine's Day.  This is another choice for my upcoming birthday card class.  I have two more designs to do and I'll be all set to advertise and get ready!    I'll share the one I completed today with you tomorrow.

For this one, I combined two of my elegant embossing folders, some lovely spring colors, and butterflies!  I think it's the perfect spring birthday card!   I had to add a little bling to make the butterflies sparkle.  :)   The design is based on a sketch from Retro Sketches from last week or the week before.

Well, as of yesterday she can get up on her hands and knees and rock.   Needless to say, we will be spending tomorrow baby proofing to get ready!   Crawling is soon to come.  Yikes!  I'm going to need to buy lots of coffee to keep up with this girl; she's already wearing me out just rolling!   I do have to figure out how to rearrange my stamp room so that we can share it while Jason's working.   She definitely needs more space (and a gated off area) to play in while I try to work.  

Finally, I am SO excited today because she finally signed "milk".  We've been working on it since right before Christmas and I hope that means she's starting to catch on.  

Retro Butterfly

It's a rainy day here in Texas, so Laila and I spent some time in my stamp room today while Jason went off to work an extra shift.   I started a card for Retro Sketches yesterday but it never came together and I left it on my desk to work on today.   I finally changed out some things and made it presentable.   :)  

I am proud to say that I also addressed and put this one in the mail for my granny!   She loves my cards and I've been a bit behind in getting them out to her.  I haven't had time to go to the post office to mail a stack of cards to a few blogging friends and some family, but I found a lost stamp to at least send this one to her.  She hasn't been feeling that well and I thought she might need a pick-me-up!  

I know it's been a while since I last posted and that's because Laila started feeling worse.   We were up with her most of the night on Thursday and Friday.   She developed a cough that's still lingering on.   We went to the doctor on Friday and her lungs were clear, but she did have an ear infection in her right ear.   She doesn't have a fever and seems fine other than the occasional coughing while she's sleeping.  Hopefully that goes away soon.   I'm so thankful that we are all getting some rest as those nights last week were rough!   I was a total zombie on Saturday.   She had fun rolling around on her mat and quilt while I stamped this morning.  :)  Now it's about lunch time for us!  

Paper Players in Orange

It has been way too long since I had time to play along with my buddies over at The Paper Players.  I loved Jaydee's sketch this week and thought I could make it work for a young girl type card.   I was in the mood for some Pumpkin Pie (not the dessert as I think that's gross) so I used that and white for my card.  It's rare to just use one color and a neutral, but it happens every now and then.  :)

I really like how this one turned out.  I love the mix of patterns, the bit of bling, and the ORANGE.  Finally a bit of my retired DSP got used too.  I am running out of room, so I am trying to make myself use up some of it and NOT allowing myself to buy any more until I clear out some.  

The Christmas tree was just too bright for her.  :)

Happy Birthday, Kathy!

I made this card to celebrate the birthday of my sweet friend Kathy.  She was the first demonstrator I really got to know personally and I absolutely LOVE her.  We haven't let the fact that we are in different countries stop us from becoming close friends.  I think she's amazing and super duper talented!   I hope you have a wonderful day my friend!  I wish I was there to celebrate with you!   (If I didn't time this post correctly, it's Jason's fault since he helped me with the time conversion.)   

I used a few challenges for my card, the sketch at Retro Sketches, the colors from The Paper Players, and the challenge of 3 b's from the brand new Black Tie Friday challenge.   I have been struggling with my creativity lately but I hope Kathy will think it's the thought that counts.  :)   

Stamps:  Summer Silhouettes, Papillon Potpourri, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Staz On Black, Basic Gray, Baja Breeze

Paper:  Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Neutrals DSP stack

Tools/Accessories:  Basic Black satin ribbon (retired), Basic Pearls

      

Dynamic Dirty Cards

This week I'm trying to fit in some of the awesome Dare to Get Dirty challenges on Splitcoaststampers.   It's a fun set of challenges for people who are members of the Fan Club there.   I've been using that website since I first started making cards and LOVE it.  It's a great way to look at card samples sorted by the stamp sets you own!

Here's my card for the first challenge.  It was a tough one, but I kinda like how it turned out!

Stamps:  Papillon Potpourri, Butterfly Prints (retired)

Ink:  Staz On Black, Versamark

Paper:  Whisper White

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Labels Collection Framelits, Stripes embossing folder, Elegant Butterfly punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Heat Tool, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Embossing Buddy, Simply Scored w/ diagonal insert, Basic Pearls

For my second card I combined two challenges, the second Dare to Get Dirty challenge with the colors from Dynamic Duos.   I was making this at midnight last night while my blueberry cheesecake bars (Pinterest recipe) were baking.  :)   It's a simple, but still gorgeous card I think. I love the new ink pads because it really gives some amazing coverage and color to the image! 

Stamps:  Lovely as a Tree, Netting background

Ink:  Early Espresso

Paper: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Neutrals DSP stack

We had Laila's one month pictures made last week so I thought I'd share one of the sneak peeks we got to see.  Such a little cutie!  

DD9: Crumb Cake Plus!

Good morning!   Up a little early this morning, so I thought I'd finish and post the card I started working on last night.   My parents left to go back home today so Mom had lots of Laila time yesterday.  I took advantage of that and headed into my craft room for some stamping time.    I had a pretty weepy day on Wednesday so I know it's important for me to try and get my "therapy" started back up.   :)   I wanted to play along with the challenge from Dynamic Duos this week.   I totally missed the deadline to submit it for the challenge, but it was fun to make anyway.   

I used a mix of old and new products on this one.   My sweet friend Marla was kind enough to gift me her Inspired by Nature stamp set and I just had to use it.   It was always a favorite of mine but I never did buy it for some reason.   I don't know why I love cone flowers so much, but I find myself drawn to this stamp set and the actual flowers themselves when we visit the local arboretum.  I also used a new stamp set, the gorgeous Papillon Potpourri.   I just love those butterflies!   What do you think about Crumb Cake paired with Island Indigo?   I like it, but Island Indigo is one of my favorite SU colors.   I also tried out the new piercing products and I have to say, GET IT!   I can see that quickly becoming a favorite set of tools.

Stamps:  Inspired by Nature (retired), Papillon Potpourri, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Island Indigo

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Whisper White, 2011-2013 In Color DSP stack, Neutrals DSP stack

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Scallop Circles #2 die (retired), 3-inch circle die, Finishing Touches Edgelit, 2 1/2 circle punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Paper Piercing pack w/ mat, Basic Pearls

You know I can't post without sharing a picture of our new bundle of joy.  :)   

Card Patterns 171

Last night I started a card using this fun sketch from Card Patterns but tired out before I could finished it.   I was able to finish it this morning since I was up at 4am.   I hate that I can't sleep these last few days that I actually can, but what can you do?   I think this baby girl is already getting me on a schedule to wake up every 2 hours and I'm helpless to stop her.  lol   Anyway...  I pulled the colors from an old colourQ challenge and used a few of my new goodies to make this one.

I'm still figuring out my new Summer Silhouettes stamp set.   I'm thinking it might be one I should have bought in wood.   I tried to eyeball the little turquoise flowers and didn't get them where I wanted them.   I should know by now that I need my Stamp-a-ma-jig for everything or else I'll not be happy with how it turns out!   Close is only good in horseshoes, NOT stamping.  :)   I paired it with an awesome new butterfly from Papillon Potpourri and a neutral gray button.   Pretty simple card, but a fun one for summer I think!

Stamps:  Summer Silhouettes, Papillon Potpourri

Ink:  Lucky Limeade, Tempting Turquoise, Wisteria Wonder

Paper:  Lucky Limeade, Tempting Turquoise, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, In Colors DSP stack

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Fancy Fan embossing folder, Labels Collection Framelits, Elegant Butterfly punch,  Wisteria Wonder Baker's Twine, Neutrals buttons, Basic Pearls

3 more days until Laila arrives!!!!    :)

FMS39 and Laila Update!

The UPS man showed up yesterday...well, last night at 7:30pm!...with a box of goodies for me and my club ladies.   I was impatiently waiting for him as I really wanted to play with some new stamps!    I was a good girl and made thank you notes for my orders (see below) before I pulled out some new inks, paper, and stamp set to play.   Insomnia paid off last night as I was piecing together my cake around 1am!  I used the great sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week as the guide for my card.   

I just adore funky cakes, so Topsy-Turvy Celebration was one of the new stamp sets that I was really drawn to in the new catalog.   It is just so whimsical and FUN!  I also used another product I was looking forward to, the Polka Dot Parade DSP.   I'm a big fan of bright colors and that paper has plenty of them!  The Color Coach had me pairing up 2 of the new in colors with an old favorite for this one:  Marina Mist, Midnight Muse, and Gumball Green.   Don't they look great together?   I think it might be my new favorite color combination!   

Stamps:   Topsy-Turvy Celebration, A Little Birthday Cheer (retired)

Ink:  Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Marina Mist

Paper:  Midnight Muse, Marina Mist, Gumball Green, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Scallop Circles #2 die (retired) 3-inch circle die

Here's a quick picture of the little thank you notes I whipped up last night.   They use two new sets, Summer Silhouettes and Papillon Potpourri, along with the Elegant Butterfly punch.    Nothing fancy, but I like my customers to know I do appreciate them.   

Finally, an update on Laila.   My blood pressure was still up at my doctor's appointment on Monday but no other signs of pre-eclampsia.   I do keep adding in lots of new issues and am even having a bit of trouble walking around now because of all the pressure she's putting on my lower body.    My doctor took pity on me and she is now scheduled to arrive on June 27th at 3pm.   11 more days!!!!!   We are excited, scared, happy, nervous...just a mess of emotions.    This pregnancy has been a rough one for me as the physical issues have caused some mental stress, but I know in the end it will all be worth it.   I can't wait to meet our little girl!