Stamp Review Crew By the Tide Edition

Welcome to a new hop of the Stamp Review Crew!   This hop we are featuring the awesome set By the Tide!   I don't own this set (yet), but I did borrow it from a friend to see what I could do with it.  I didn't have as much time as I'd hoped to stamp, but I managed to get one card made that uses my favorite technique lately, watercoloring!  :-)   Remember if you get turned around on the hop or need to take a break from all the fabulous cards you can go to the main page.

I think Coastal Cabana is my favorite new color.  I seem to use it a lot lately for some reason.  I loved the Wednesday sketch at MFT, so I used it for my layout.

Freshly Made Stars

It's Freshly Made Sketches day!   Karren is our hostess and sketch creator this week and I love the sketch she challenged us with.   I seem to have lost a stamp set in my super messy room, so I didn't get to make the card I originally wanted to do.   I did need more teacher cards for my vendor event this weekend, so I decided to change it up and go that route instead.   I'm not sure I love the result, but after the day I had yesterday, I'm happy to have made one at all.  

Isn't that a fabulous sketch?  Maybe I'll find my missing set soon and complete my original idea.  It's half done now and taking up space on my desk.  

Laila got to dye an egg at my mom's for Easter.  Well, kinda.  She managed to put one egg in before she dumped the cup out everywhere.  She had blue legs for a while.  :)  My little Smurf.  Hopefully we have better luck next year.  

Stampin' Up! Spiral Flower Die

My techniques class is tomorrow and I'm still working on getting ready for it.  That trip out of town really threw a wrench in my plans and I'm a bit behind.   We've been working on catching up the lawn and getting Laila set up with a sandbox, but I finally found some stamping time last night.   I pulled out my gesso and here's what I came up with.  The Naturals Composition DSP (sadly, retiring) is perfect to use with gesso as it resists it and you get this awesome look with little effort!  I finally ordered the Spiral Flower die and I LOVE it!  You can't really mail this card easily, but it's perfect to add in a gift bag with a gift!

We don't have a home phone anymore, but Laila had fun with an old one at my parents during our visit.  :)   She's so funny.

Stampin' Up! Simply Sketched

Wednesday!   You know what that means, right?!  Freshly Made Sketches!  Woo Hoo!  This week have a great sketch from the amazingly talented Cindy L.   Just like last week, I had an almost immediate idea for the sketch.  The doily was a given as was the chevron ribbon.  I hadn't decided on the image, but after deciding I wanted to watercolor, Simply Sketched was an easy choice.  It's a great set and one you can only get if you are the hostess with the mostest!   Definitely worth hosting a workshop for, that's for sure! 

I used my Color Coach for this color combination and it is one of my favorites.  Smoky Slate, Pear Pizzazz, and Pool Party are three of my favorite colors and I love using them together.   

Laila is totally addicted to these sunglasses.  She doesn't want to take them off.  EVER!   She even took a nap in them one day!  I think because Jason and I both wear glasses, she thinks she needs some as well.   It's cute, but trying to get them off of her for bedtime is a pain.  She even wakes up yelling "Glasses ON!" sometimes.   Goodness!   Toddlers really are crazy.  lol  

Stampin' with Family

I don't know about blogging from my phone, but I thought I'd try!  I have been visiting my family this past week and a bit out of touch. I have sure missed my stamps and I can't wait to get home to them! My cousin happens to be a stamper too, so I had a nice morning with her and her mom. I made this card to leave for Mom to thank her for all she's done for us.  It uses the rolled flower die which I don't have but now need! :)

 

Laila had a great Easter! She has been given so many gifts that I probably should have brought an extra suitcase. 

Finally, remember to check out the retiring products! You can look in the online store using the link on my sidebar. Lots of things are already sold out, so don't wait long! 

Sunshine for Freshly Made Sketches

It's Wednesday and time for a new Freshly Made Sketches challenge.   Jen B. is our fabulous hostess this week and she has a great sketch for everyone.  I was happy to have an immediate idea for a card!  It's nice when it works out like that, right?! 

I love anything related to clouds, sunshine, rainbows, etc, so I know my "any shape" was going to be a sun!  I have a great sunshine set from PTI and used a sentiment from that.   The Cloudy Days embossing folders is a total keeper for me, retired or not!   I used my Aquapainter to color in the clouds with a bit of Smoky Slate.   I don't know if I like that exactly, but it was so stark just to leave it all white.  

We took Laila to the zoo last week and she had a blast.  I don't know if she loved the animals, but she LOVED being able to walk around.  She wouldn't ride in the wagon much at all.  She's determined to walk everywhere now and does not want to ride.

Stampin' Up! Simply Sketched

I thought I'd share a card we are making at my techniques class later this month.  It's a new technique to me called acrylic batik and this was my first attempt.   I think I need a bit more practice, but I like it!    I left the card pretty simple since the focus is more on learning the technique.

Laila got to have her first ice cream cone last week!   She thought it was yummy.  She really didn't eat much of it, but I think she enjoyed what she did eat.  That makes me happy.  :)

Stampin' Up! Floral Fusion

Time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  Cindy H at Pretty Impact is our hostess this week and has a great sketch for everyone.  I had a few ideas, but chose this one to use the Floral Fusion die that I finally remembered to order.  When it is on the retirement list, you can thank me.   lol   I probably should have used a different idea because I messed this one up three times before I finally got something together.  I had to do the 3rd attempt at the kitchen table while Laila colored. Nap time only lasted long enough to screw it up twice. ;)  

Isn't that a great sketch?  For my second attempt I had it flipped horizontally, but decided to go back to vertical.   I think I need to try the horizontal one again when I get a chance.  I love sketches that you can easily flip around.  I also used the colors at colourQ for my card.  

I don't have Cool Caribbean, so I substituted Coastal Cabana.   I wasn't sure if it or Pool Party was the closest, so I just picked the one that I came to in the scrap bin first.  

Laila and I went shopping yesterday and she found some super cool glasses.   We just had to buy them and now she doesn't want to take them off!  In other news, she peed in the potty again yesterday.  It's only the third time in probably a month, but she's asking to go.  I think she just likes to read Martha Stewart Living, but hey, it's a start!  Ha!