Freshly Made Heart

Happy Wednesday!  I'm hoping for a happy Wednesday anyway.  Tuesday...well Tuesday was NOT so good.   Today is Freshly Made Sketches Day though!   My buddy Linda designed the sketch this week and it's another fun one.  I love tags but never remember to use them.  I love when a sketch comes along to remind me to use them, so thanks, Linda!!

I sat down Monday night to make this after Laila went to bed and now that I look at it, it's kinda boring.   I was tired and Jason was in my floor messing with the router so lots of distractions and not much creativity going on.  Thankfully the colors are a bit dramatic so it is not a total bomb.  ;)   That white tag is blinding me, so I'll keep this one short.  (and I'm tired and ready for a very early bed time!)

Crab legs!  Yum!

Lovely and Simple

Still plugging away at my goal to master the art of clean-and-simple.  I had the idea for this card the other day but hadn't found the time to stamp it out until today.   It mimics my sketch from last week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  I used a favorite color combination, Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, and Island Indigo.  Lacy & Lovely was the set I used my awesome 25% discount from Stampin' Up! on.   I love the perks of being a demonstrator.  :)   It's a great set because it has shapes AND sentiments!   You can make simple cards like this one, or go all out and make a fancy one.  I added some bling because well, who doesn't like rhinestones?!  

I snapped this cool picture of Laila playing in her Exersaucer over the weekend.  She gets very fascinated by the baby in the mirror.

Club Thank Yous

I try to make up a little thank you card or gift for my awesome club ladies. They are not just customers, but great friends as well.  Sometimes I run out of time and fail at that, but I tried really hard this month to stamp a card for them. Laila was a good girl and played in her Exersaucer so I could get them done.   They are simple, but cute.

I just love this sketch and have used it a few times in the past.   The Big Shot and punches to all the work which is great when you are running short on time!   Add in the awesome combination of red and black and you have a winner, right?!

Can you believe she's seven months old today?!  It is going by so, so fast.  I guess I should start thinking about some birthday ideas before too long.  I wanted to do some crafty stuff for it and I will need time to work on them!   I'm thinking owls, but I need to see what all is out there and what colors I want to work with. 

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Fabulous Stampin' on Friday!

  

I managed to fit in a little stamping time today and wanted to do a couple challenges that I had on my list.   I don't seem to find as much time to do them lately and I really do miss that.   I decided to try and combine the colors from Fab Friday with the sketch at Try Stampin' on Tuesday.   I should have snapped a picture of my desk after this attempt so you could see how many times I cut different paper for the base and layers.  I struggled to say the least!

I used the fun SAB set, Patterned Occasions, again for this one.   It's such a cute set and definitely one I'd recommend getting! I stamped it three times and kinda cut and pieced the colors I wanted together.   For some reason when I stamp a cupcake I want to put a flower on it, so I did...again.  :)   I think it ended up turning out kinda cute, but it was definitely a challenging card for me.   

Laila is up from her nap, so I'm going to cut this one short!  

I finally felt like I could handle seeing her in her Little Sister onesie today.  

FMS70: Spiced Flower

Today at Freshly Made Sketches I am the hostess!   I created this fairly simple sketch with the idea that it would work with a wide range of styles.  Even though I'm in a bit of a clean-and-simple mode, I added in some layers and went more for just clean. 

This card is one of those special cards that was made with someone in mind.  :) A few months ago I received an email in the middle of the night from one of my readers, Andrea.   She noticed that Stampin' Up! had updated the Clearance Rack and that the Spice Cake DSP was on it.  She knew I was hoarding what I had left and wanted to make sure I was able to get some.   Sweet, right?   I wasn't able to order because of bills and holiday spending, but I soon got an email that she was sending a pack my way.  I'm pretty sure I cried a bit.  It's amazing when someone you've never met does something so nice for you and I feel lucky that my blog has brought her and other sweet people like her into my life.  

Andrea says I inspired her to purchase the Fun Flowers die, so I thought it was only fitting that I use it on the card I made for her.  :)   It is probably my favorite die and if you don't have it yet, I'd highly recommend it.  Now that Sale-a-Bration has started, it is the perfect time to get it too!   

And speaking of Sale-a-Bration, I thought I'd share another card made with the one set that I have on hand.  I wanted to have something to link up to still addINKtive's "Spot the Sale-a-Bration stamps".  I loved Annette's color scheme and used it for my card.  I think it is going to be a new favorite for sure.  :)

It's a little different than my sketch, but the idea is still there.  

I love how peaceful she looks in her sleep.  Lately it's the only time she's quiet!  lol   

Reminder: Card Kits!

Don't forget that I have card kits available.  :)    You know your valentine would love a gorgeous hand-stamped card.   It's the perfect way to say I love you.  

Info on the kits:

Each kit is $16 which includes shipping and PayPal fees. They will ship on approximately January 25th but could be a little later depending on when I receive your order.

The kits will contain all the card stock and designer paper to make the 4 cards pictured below. I do reserve the right to substitute patterns if necessary.

Embellishments and ribbon will be included but may differ from the original cards. They will still coordinate I promise!

No stamping will be included per Stampin' Up! policy, so you will need to provide your own stamps/sentiments.

Detailed instructions are NOT included, but of course I'll be here to help if you get stuck.  :) You will received a card kit PDF that includes a photo and a list of supplies used to make the cards.

US addresses only.

To purchase, you can click on the Buy Now button below and it should take you through the payment through PayPal. Please let me know if you run into any issues with it.

If you'd like the cards made for you, the cost of the 4 completed, stamped cards is $20. Please email me if you'd like this option and I can send you an invoice for that. These will include the angel policy stamp on the back of the cards.

Thanks so much for all your support!

Paper Players and Dynamic Duos

  

After two days of twenty minute naps, Laila finally crashed for a bit today.   I was thankful for the break and headed to my room to try to stamp a bit.  I decided to combine the clean-and-simple sketch at The Paper Players with the colors at Dynamic Duos.

If you are like me, you have a tons of stamps that have a little (or in my case, a lot) of dust on them.  I decided to pull a couple of them out tonight to make a card.   I need to justify keeping them, right?   I did use current colors and lots of little flowers and pearls.  I was inspired by a lovely watercolor of cherry blossoms that a former colleague painted for me.  My card is not as lovely as her painting, but I kinda like it.  :)   

We've been doing a lot of floor time lately, but still no crawling.   She is learning to roll back and forth pretty good though.  I'm in no rush for her to become mobile because I know once it happens we are going to be chasing her all over the place!   That girl has some serious energy!  

I hope everyone has a great week. 

The Original Pinweel Card

I thought I'd share my original pinwheel card.  I thought it turned out okay, but it just wasn't the fun card I'd imagined in my head so I changed the colors to the one you saw on my Freshly Made Sketches post.  I love the design of this one, so I might make up a few more in different colors.   That die is just so easy to use that I love playing with it.  

She's really got the hang of sitting up playing now!   She loves eating her pureed solids that we've been making for her too.  I don't know if her having 3 little meals is the key or not, but she's slept 10-12 hours for the past few nights.   It's been kinda nice.  I know she'll change that up when we least expect it, but I'll enjoy it for as long as it lasts.