Freshly Made Feathers

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  Karren created this awesome one for us this week.  I think you can interpret it a few different ways and I'm hoping she doesn't mind what I did with it.  lol  Every time I see a project with feathers I think "Feathers?  Really?   I could never use feathers on a card."  Sounds like a challenge, huh?   When I saw the sketch I totally went right to the idea.  I had a file for my Cameo that I hadn't used yet and it totally worked for what I needed.   Yay!

Island Indigo and Pool Party is one of my most favorite color combinations of all time.  I love it.   I am such a blue girl when it comes to making cards.  My sentiment looked so, so wrong in the top corner (ask me how I know...made this card twice!) so I did move it to the bottom.   It just had to happen.

This is how I know she's mine.  Nosy.  lol  We've had a rough week again already.   I really struggle with her and it seems to be getting worse.  I think part of it is my mental state and part of is the insanity that is toddlers.  I am hoping my doctors have some ideas for the depression/anxiety that's going on.  Too bad I couldn't get appointments with either of them until April.   Not good, but what can you do?  

Stamp Review Crew: Gorgeous Grunge Edition

It's a new hop of the Stamp Review Crew!   This time we are featuring Gorgeous Grunge.   I'm not sure gorgeous and grunge are two words that go together, but hey, it works!  If at any time you get lost or disorientated from all the amazing samples, we do have a main landing page for you to recoup and recover on.  

This was my first project  I saw the colors at Hand Stamped Sentiments and decided to give them a go with this set.  Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever used Rose Red!  I don't own the stamp pad, but I did have the marker and one sheet of card stock.  I managed to get my new grid background stamp in there too.  ;)

For my second card I wanted to do a faux watercolor effect.  I inked up the stamps, spritzed them with water, then stamped.  I know it's a splatter stamp to begin with, but I think it still looks kinda cool with some water mixed in.  It's fun that card is so bright and cheery while the other is more masculine and dark.   I love stamp sets that can do both!   

Rays of Sunshine

When I saw the sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch, I knew I wanted to use my new stencil and stamps to make a card.  Jason got me this set from Papertrey Ink for Valentine's Day and I love it.   I am planning on doing Laila's 2nd birthday in a sunshine theme, so it was on my must-have list for her invitations.  :)   I always feel a bit naughty using non-SU stuff, but what can you do?!

Isn't that fun?  For all the northern folks with snow, I bet the snowman is totally on your minds.  It's warm here, so everyone is outside mowing their lawns today.   We are thinking about going to get Laila a sandbox too.  Crazy how different things are depending on which state you happen to be in.   

I hope everyone had a great day yesterday.  I did not, but I'm shaking it off.  Jason had to work and the toddler tantrums were the worst yet.  I cried myself to sleep last night from mental exhaustion.  I did make my girl some heart-shaped pancakes and a heart-shaped sandwich yesterday in between all the shenanigans. She also got a stuffed Hello Kitty that she had to take to bed and a new book.    

Stampin' Up! Starburst Sayings

Pacific Point?!  I know!  I haven't used it in FOREVER, but I won this ribbon at Leadership and figured I should use it.  It actually turned out kinda cool, so I think we'll make it at stamp club this weekend!  Isn't that Hardwood background amazing?!  I love it.  I think this is a good masculine card even with the ribbon. 

She loves playing outside.  I am NOT an outside person, so maybe she's not mine?  Ha!  My mom bought her a bag of these balls for Christmas and it's fun to fill her pool with them so she can play.  It works for when it's not warm enough for water.   :)   We had a much better day yesterday with only a bit of meltdowns and a lot of making a mess.  Toddlers could really be hired out for demolition crews.

Stampin' Up! Just Sayin'

Well, I thought I'd scheduled my Freshly Made Sketches post for today.  Apparently I dreamed that?  lol  Anyway, Jen B has this awesome sketch this week.  I almost didn't get a card made with all the toddler drama going on this week, but I finally found a bit of stamping time yesterday.  Talk about last minute!   I tried a few ideas, but most of the other ladies had already used all the cool shapes.   I decided to try the word bubbles.  I stamped them first but it looked too crowded.  I then tried this and well, Laila woke up from her nap so this it was!  It's pretty plain, but I at least made something I guess.  Be sure to check out the cards from my fellow design team members; they are amazing this week!

See?  Pretty cool sketch!   I can't wait to see the gallery this week!

This was our pants meltdown yesterday.  She wanted different pants, two pairs of pants...who knows really?   She ended up with two pairs for awhile.  lol  Toddlers!

Stampin' Up! Starburst Sayings

Tonight I took some time off and went to stamp just for fun.  Nothing I HAD to make, just fun.  I left the dishes and laundry and will worry about them tomorrow.  It's been a pretty tough week for me mentally and I just needed the break.  I used the sketch over at the Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge as my guide and some of the new in colors as my colors.  

Isn't that a great sketch?!  I really love it and plan to use it in the future.

This mom thing is really kicking my butt lately and I have been going to bed almost every night feeling like I've failed yet again.  I don't know if I'm going to make it as a stay-at-home mom to a toddler.  The poor house is a wreck, the toddler is crazy, the cats are well, cats, and this mom is exhausted.  I'm hoping that once Jason is back to working 40 hours and not 50+ it will better.  March can't get here soon enough!

Stampin' Up! Delicate Doilies

My sweet cousin in Kentucky recently signed up to be a demonstrator and is working on ideas for her open house.  I tried to help her by coming up with a card design for her.  She emailed her list of stamps and current colors and here's what I came up with.   In case she decides to use the idea, I tried to keep it pretty simple so new stampers weren't overwhelmed with their first stamping experience.   Tessa's amazing card was a great inspiration for mine.

Stamps:  Perfectly Penned, Delicate Doilies, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White
Accessories:  Basic Pearls, Linen Thread

She looks much too old for me in this one.  Lately when I look at her I find myself starting to cry.  It's going by entirely too fast.  It feels like she should still be a little baby swinging in the swing and needed to be fed and burped.   Her teething necklace is probably going to have to come off soon and we'll shop for a longer one, she's almost in 2T clothes, and I've been looking for ideas for her second birthday party.  Just crazy! Whoever said the days were long, but the years are short really nailed that one!

Before I go, someone asked about the Stenciled class.  You can find it here:  http://www.onlinecardclasses.com/  Hope that helps.  :)

Stampin' Up! Vivid Vases

Vivid Vases was one of the sets we received at Leadership, so I thought we'd use it at my hostess club this month.  I really loved the make-and-take we did, so I recreated it with what I had on hand.  :)   It's nice to have the design work done for you sometimes.  I had fun watercoloring the vases and flowers with my Aquapainter.   Do you like to color?  I usually don't but this set seems fun for that.  

Laila seems to have hit the stage where she wants to pick out her own clothes.  Yikes.  Yesterday she brought me a shirt she wanted on and I had to change her.  Today she picked out this outfit when Jason was getting her dressed.   It should be interesting to see how this progresses.  I hope it doesn't add to the million things she already has meltdowns over, but I'm sure it will.  Sigh.   It's been a long, long week.  

Bandit's biopsy came back that he doesn't have cancer.  So happy for that, but they still have no idea what's wrong.   The next thing is an endoscopy/colonoscopy or exploratory surgery.   Or just waiting to see if he improves.   It is very frustrating that we've hit over $1,000 and have no real answers.  We are going to wait a bit since he seems better.  If it gets any worse, I think a second opinion will be needed to see if someone else can figure out things.  We aren't going to have anything left for treatment at this rate.   

It looks like Laila wants to go shopping, so I guess we are heading out for a bit.  Have a great weekend!