Stampin' Up! Too Kind

Okay, so I have a confession to make.  I am currently addicted to sequins.  :-/  I want to put them on EVERYTHING!   They totally don't go with this card, but I stuck them on there and they are stuck.   So...yeah.   I made this for Angela's HYCCT challenge:

My challenge to you is to make a card using words that are meant to inspire. What are words that keep you going? What's your mantra? Mine right now would have to be "Grow through it - you're stronger than you think you are" The inspiring words can be the focal point of your card or let the words go with the image you've used. 

A few weeks ago I found the live.love.laugh stamps in the dollar (or dollar fifty as this was) bin at Michael's.  Now I PROMISED myself I could NOT buy any of those stamps EVER again.  I have a ton of them in my shelf that have some dust (maybe a few inches) on them and I just don't use them.   But I loved this one...and it is a great mantra for life, right?!   Maybe I was psychic and saw this challenge coming even!  Ha!   Anyway, I love it and you'll probably be seeing a lot of it this month as I find it fitting for the challenges.

Stamps:  Too Kind, Miscellaneous awesome stamp
Ink:  Regal Rose, Old Olive
Accessories: SEQUINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another picture from our park playdate last week.  :)   She's so cute.  I can say that, right?!

Double the Hope

It's been a few days, huh?  I haven't been stamping because Jason's been working and Laila doesn't like to nap longer than thirty minutes.  sigh   I did finish up this one I'd started last week for Lori's HYCCT challenge to use leaves.   I wanted to still use pink somehow and thought it might work with some black and gray.   I STILL miss French Foliage, so I dusted it off.  It's probably my favorite SU set I've bought.

Stamps:  French Foliage, A Muse Stamp Out Breast Cancer
Ink:  Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Melon Mambo
Paper:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Melon Mambo
Accessories:  Neutrals buttons (retired), White Baker's Twine

This second card is for Rebecca's HYCCT challenge to use metal.   Aluminum foil counted, so I embossed some with the Houndstooth embossing folder and paired it with a the Motorcycle stamp I printed from My Digital Studio.  

Stamps:  My Digital Studio, CTMH It's Your Day
Ink:  Basic Black, Melon Mambo
Paper:  Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Aluminum foil
Accessories:  Basic Black chevron ribbon
Tools: Houndstooth EF, Color Spritzer (retired)

Laila had a play date at the park on Friday.   As you can see, she was more into the mulch and pine cones.

Stampin' Up! Camo?

Well it's pink, so you know it's another HYCCT card.  :)   This one is for Lee's challenge:

Yes! We can fight cancer and we can WIN! And we can show our strength in PINK CAMO !!!! Pink is not only my favorite color...but the color of October...and a camo version is inspirational to fight, fight, fight!! I'm inspired by so many who I know are currently battling breast cancer as well as other types....and THEY ARE MY HEROES!!! So let's show them that we'll be fighting with them side by side!!! 

You can use pink camo ribbon, patterned paper, digital paper....or you can even make your own camo paper!!! I made my own background paper by stamping a solid image repetitively in many shades of pink ink!! It's that simple! You can also use a pink and black re-inker and swirl it on white ribbon or white flowers and make your own pink camo design!! 

I didn't have anything that even resembled camo, so I tried to use Gorgeous Grunge to make a camo background.  I hope it is passable.  I added my favorite, a Fun Flowers die flower! 

Stamps:  Too Kind, Gorgeous Grunge

Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride

Paper:  Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Old Olive

Tools:  Big Shot, Fun Flowers die, Boho Blossoms punch, Oval punch

Accessories: Brights Glimmer Brads

Laila hasn't been napping long in her crib, but she'll go back to sleep just fine in our arms.  I don't know what's going on with that, but I make sure my Nook is handy so I can snuggle with her and read.   She crashed on me today after sleeping about 35 minutes in her crib.  I wish she'd sleep in it so I could stamp.  lol  Mommy needs downtime! 

HYCCT Fails

Another of my Hope You Can Cling To cards.  I don't think I like this one and sadly, it's the second attempt at this challenge!   I think I have some sort of mental block going on because I can't get this challenge completed and I've been stuck and not stamping for a couple days now.  I'm a few behind, which is NOT good if I hope to do them all. Hopefully I get a burst of creativity soon so I can stamp out some cards!

This was Beate's challenge:
Create a card Clean and Simple card. One or two layers....no bulky layers or embellishments. Keep it flat.

It shouldn't be THAT hard of a challenge, so I don't know what my problem is.  :-/   Here's my first attempt:

I tried the masking tape technique with some tape I crinkled up before inking and it didn't work out like I wanted.  I used the lightest current green, Pear Pizzazz, and it was still too dark.  Ugh.  Maybe I'll go back revive Certainly Celery and try again.

So that's my day of not stamping... How's yours?! 

Laila LOVES my purse.  Too much in fact.  She got a little mad that I zipped it up and she couldn't pull all my credit cards out.   Last time she did I lost a Visa and my Target card, so no more of that! 

FMS107: Stampin' Up! Halloween

I went simple this week for my Freshly Made Sketches card.  I had a busy day yesterday and limited craft...that means a simple card must do.  :)   I had a totally different idea in mind when I sat down to stamp, but a last minute idea led to this.   Maybe it was seeing the signs that the pumpkin patch is almost ready to open?!  Our fun sketch this week was created by one of our amazing leaders, Jen T.  

Stamps:  Toxic Treats (retired)

Ink:  Basic Black

Paper:  Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive

Tools:  Big Shot, Spider Web EF (retired), XL Oval punch, Little Leaves sizzlit

Sometimes owls need CPR.  :)  

Stampin' Up! So Many Thanks

Another card for both Hope You Can Cling To and from my recent class.  I made it during my "not feeling inspired" phase and it is a total CASE of a card I found on Pinterest.   I LOVED it and wanted to make it using Stampin' Up! products.  I think it turned out alright, just not quite as good as the original.  Nothing ever is though, right?  :)  Here's Kathy's HYCCT challenge description:

It's so fun to design cards with our punches and die cuts to help us. Use either or both of them to design a card to encourage these patients and lift their spirits. That's it! Any sketch, any colors, just be sure to include a 'punch'. Let's hope we can truly 'punch out' breast cancer in our lifetime. In the meantime, the cards you make and send to them now provide so much support as they fight the fight. Thanks to all who can participate with us this month. 

Stamps:  So Many Thanks, Gorgeous Grunge, Positively Chevron

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Brights DSP stack

Accessories:  In Color Boutique Details, Linen Thread

Tools:  Big Shot, Square framelits, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Beautiful Butterflies die

I found Laila an owl costume for Halloween, but when we tried on the hood and cape, she quickly jerked it off.  We'll see how long she wears it.  lol  Hopefully long enough to maybe get a picture!  :)

Stampin' Up! Gently Falling

Still stamping away.  I don't know that I'm making the best cards, but I'm making them from my heart for a good cause, so that's good enough.  For this one I combined the awesome sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch

and Misti's challenge:

Many Colors of Cancer

Many of us have a loved one or friend that has been affected by cancer. Choose one of the colors of cancer from THIS Site & use it on your project. Feel free to use more than one color combo on your project, if you have more than one person going through a cancer battle. In your description, let us know why you choose the color(s) you did.

I used the closest color to emerald green that I had to honor my loved one with liver cancer.   My uncle was recently diagnosed with it and is starting chemo tomorrow.   He's pretty old and set in his ways, so I'm hoping he'll cooperate with treatment and try to stay here with us a bit longer.  I will probably make another version tomorrow in navy to honor my mother-in-law who passed away from colon cancer. 

Stamps:  Gently Falling, Truly Grateful

Ink/Paper: Garden Green

Tools:  Big Shot, Woodgrain embossing folder

We went on a little wagon ride not too long ago.  She loved it, so now that the weather has cooled off a bit I hope we can walk a lot.  :)   

Pinkterest Ombre Cake

I thought I'd share another Hope You Can Cling To challenge card with you this morning.  It had been a while since I pulled my Tasteful Trim die out, but it seemed like the perfect challenge for it.   Bridget's challenge was called Pinkterest.   Here's her description:

It's time to check out some fabulous inspiration from Pinterest, all in gorgeous shades of HOPEFUL PINK ! All you have to do is choose one of the photo's below to inspire your card and then tell us which one it is in your description - and we would LOVE to hear the details of why and how it inspired you too!

Here's the photo I picked:

Isn't that fun?  I want to eat it! I love the ombre effect and just had to do it again.  :)   

Laila had a play date during my class yesterday.  One of my friends brought her daughter Emily up and they had a blast together.  She seems to be in a shy mode with adults, but sixth graders seem to be just fine.  It was nice to see them both having fun, but it does make me a little sad that she won't have a living sibling to play with. Emily is an only child, so maybe they can be honorary sisters.  Anyway, Emily was pushing her and her friends around in the pink mobile.  Too funny.