Simple Circus Circles

Whew.  It's been a rough day here today!  Jason is at work and Laila is being high maintenance!  She napped so well yesterday and then slept almost 12 hours straight last night, so I guess she's well-rested and thinking she doesn't need naps today.  We all know how babies with no naps are, right?!  We're hanging in there, but we are both exhausted at this point!   I did manage to squeeze in a simple birthday card for the HYCCT challenges.  This was a challenge from Lori and here's her description: My challenge to you is to use the letters HYCCT in your card or project! You can use any supply or technique, let your imagination go wild!! Please be sure to include what you used in your description!

Here's what I used for my creation:
H:  Happy Birthday
Y:  Yellow
C: Circles
C: Clean-and-Simple
T:  Twine

Stamps:  Perfectly Penned, Circle Circus
Ink:  So Saffron, Not Quite Navy, Pool Party
Paper:  Not Quite Navy, Pool Party, Whisper White
Accessories:  Pool Party Baker's Twine, So Saffron button (retired)

Laila was chilling in her bouncy seat in the kitchen while I emptied the dishwasher and luckily I had the camera snapping pictures when Bandit decided to check her out.  The cats aren't sure about her just yet and all her flailing around tends to scare them!

Happy Brrrthday!

I am still trying to catch up with the Hope You Can Cling to challenges.  This is yesterday's challenge from Patricia and here's her description of her challenge: Let's make humorous cards using stitching (hand, machine, or faux) as an embellishment.  Any type of humor is fine - jokes, puns, silliness, whatever makes you giggle! Just be sure to embellish your card with some sort of stitching. 

This was a bit difficult for me as I didn't really have anything that I thought of as silly.  After looking online for some funny animals or owl puns, I finally saw this card on Zazzle and thought I could do something with that idea.  I found a free wintery font and opened up My Digital Studio and got to work!   I printed off a sheet with the sentiment and the stitching and then added a punched out penguin and balloon.  Hopefully it's silly enough for the challenge!  

Stamps:  NONE

Ink:  (printer only)

Paper:  Island Indigo, Whisper White, Basic Black

Tools/Accessories:   My Digital Studio, Owl Builder punch, 3/4 circle punch, Dazzling Details

I can tell her daddy dressed her on this day because of the bow.  He thinks she looks cute in them so he'll usually try to find one that matches.   So much for my no bow rule!

FMS56: Summer Silhouettes

Time for a new Freshly Made Sketch!  I'm the hostess this week, so this sketch was my design.  It seems a bit boring compared to some of the ones we have had recently, but hopefully you'll find it fun anyway.  I always seem to do cards with squares or rectangles; I think I have an aversion to circles or something?  I can use them on my cards just fine, but I don't tend to create sketches with them.  Anyway, rectangles it is!  :)

I used a new favorite color combination for this one, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, and Lucky Limeade.  They work so wonderfully together!   I usually go for an embossed panel on my background, but I tried something different here and used Versamark to stamp some of the flower images from the set on there.  I like how it turned out I think and will have to try it again.   The designer paper is from Festival of Prints that is in the holiday catalog; it is so useful for more than just Christmas cards!  

Stamps:  Summer Silhouettes, Petite Pairs

Ink:  Versamark, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Fesitval of Prints DSP stack

Tools/Accessories:  Whisper White stitched grosgrain ribbon

Have I mentioned how much I love this girl?  After losing Eli, I never thought we'd be truly happy again.  She has brought so much joy and happiness back into our lives and I'm so glad that we never gave up hope of being parents again.  It's a bit sad right now as this time of year is time that we actually did get to spend with Eli.  Hopefully Laila will help us remember the good parts of that time and not dwell on that which we cannot change.  I sure do miss my little pumpkin though.  

HYCCT Cupcake

I finally managed to get a card made this evening for the Hope You Can Cling To challenges.   This challenge was presented by Lee and here's what she had to say:  This challenge is to make a pretty wrapping for a cupcake!!! Whether it's a cupcake wrapper/template or a 3D box or something else....show me what you've got using cupcake images, dp, ribbon, embellies, etc. Now since it just might be a bit tricky to mail these cupcake wrappings....included in the challenge is to make a matching tag or notecard and that is what will be sent to MD Anderson!!!! Make sure you use cupcakes as your theme.....and no stressin'!!!! If you absolutely aren't able to make an actual wrapper/box.....just show off the little tag or notecard!!! 

I printed off some directions for a cupcake holder, but I'm just too tired and brain dead to try to put together a 3-D thing right now.  I still wanted to do the challenge so I made this cute simple cupcake card.  I used some fun colors from the Color Coach and the adorable but retired Crazy for Cupcakes set. I'm starting to like paper piecing a bit actually!

Stamps:  Crazy for Cupcakes (retired)
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi, Subtles and Neutrals DSP stacks
Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Stripes embossing folder, Itty Bitty punch pack, Basic Rhinestones, Dazzling Details

Jason and I took Laila to our local arboretum today and here's a couple of pictures that I snapped.   He was laughing as I said I had to get pictures of the Rich Razzleberry berries and the Melon Mambo flowers. :)

Laila just relaxed and blew some spit bubbles as we walked around.  Silly girl.

Shabby Music

Another Hope You Can Cling TO card!   This time I was playing with Tenia's challenge: Being a professional jazz pianist I know that music helps me on so many levels. Music makes me happy and feel awesome when I am having a not so great day. Music simply just soothes my Soul. So your challenge today is to create a card using pink and using any music related stamps or paper.  I will say, this one had me stumped all day yesterday and much of today.  I didn't have any music related stamps and I forgot about my Grunge Rock stamp set.   I finally found some printable sheet music online and printed some off on Very Vanilla card stock.   After that, things got out of hand!   I am not a vintage/shabby chic person so why I started down that route I don't know.   This was the end result and I'm not sure it's really something I want to send to MD Anderson.   I'll have to look at it a bit more and then decide I guess.    Thanks to Try Stampin' On Tuesday for this great sketch.  

Stamps:  Happiest Birthday Wishes (retired)

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Paper:  Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip. Very Vanilla, Subtles DSP stack

Tools/Accessories: Distressing Essentials Kit (retired), Color Spritzer, Pretty in Pink 1 1/4 striped ribbon (retired), Basic Pearls

LOL  This picture cracks me up.  That bow is just too much!  

Purple Fun Flowers of Hope

Here's the second card I started yesterday for the HYCCT challenges.  This one was presented by Giovana and here is what she asked us to do:  My challenge to you is to make a project that uses 3 or more dies/punches or an electronic cutting machine and a sentiment.You can use stamp images, but let your dies and sentiment be the Star!!   I love making cards with little to no stamping, so this was a great challenge for me.  I did do a little more with stamps than I normally do on a challenge like this because I felt like the white background was too stark without a little something.  Plus a distressed card needs some splatters, right?!  And did you notice, no pink?!  I needed a break!

The cool thing about this card is the sentiment.  Did you know that Stampin' Up! is now offering single stamps?   It's a trial for now to see how it goes, but you can get individual sentiments from three different sets right now!   This is one of them from Word Play.   To see the list, visit my online store and see if there's one that catches your eye.  

Stamps:  Word Play, French Foliage

Ink:  Concord Crush, Wisteria Wonder

Paper:  Concord Crush, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, 2011-2013 In Color DSP stack

Tool/Accessories:  Big Shot, Fun Flowers die, Boho Blossoms punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Cutter Kit (retired), Basic Pearls, sponges

Check out those eyes!   I am so hoping that they stay that color as they are GORGEOUS!

HYCCT Quilt

I don't think I've ever used so much pink in one week!   I found some time to work on another card for the challenges today.   If you'd like to check them out, you can find the master thread for them here.  This challenge was presented by Kathy and here's her description:  Make a card or two to inspire strength and courage to a patient. Or, you can be inspired by someone you know who been especially courageous. It’s open to your creativity.  

I will admit that this one was a bit of a struggle for me.  I couldn't come up with anything and finally decided to go with an old favorite, the quilt card.  My mamaw (that's Kentucky for grandmother) was a breast cancer survivor and this one is to honor her.   We shared a love of quilts as I think I've mentioned before, so this card is a nice reflection back on her life.  I miss her so much.  She struggled with dementia for a long time, but would still always ask my mom how my brother and I were doing.   She passed away on my birthday last year and I wasn't able to travel home to say my goodbyes due to being pregnant and sick.   I'm sad that she won't ever get to meet Laila, but I have some of her things to share with Laila and lots and lots of stories.  

And speaking of Laila, here she is in her size SIX MONTH sleeper.   All of her 3 month pants/outfits look like capris, so she's having to wear larger sizes to get those long legs covered.   :)  She sure is finding those hands and fingers tasty these days!  

HYCCT Strips

I just loved the sketch at Fab Friday so much that I decided to make a second card!  :)   Jason asked me if I was on some kick of using strips lately when I showed him, so maybe I'm using them too much?  lol  This is another card for the Hope You Can Cling To challenges.  This one was from Victoria and here's her description: As we all know, or will know, when you head in to get your mammogram you are asked to strip! So let's embrace it!  Use strips (or a strip if you've only had one mammogram so far) of papers, fabrics, or tapes as a background to anchor the focal image on your card. Straight, diagonal, zigzag, chevron...whatever strikes your fancy. Enjoy. And please strip. 

I wanted to really embrace the focus of the challenges, breast cancer, and I think I achieved that!    A bit of a  back story on the stamps and paper...  Jason and I had our first "date night" tonight since Laila was born.  His sister was kind enough to come watch her so we could go out to dinner.   We left the house a little early and where did we go?  The craft stores!  :)   He knew I really wanted an awareness ribbon stamp so we went looking for one.  We found one at the second place along with this cool paper.   He even went through the line too so that we could both use a coupon.  Is he a keeper or what??  

Stamps: Stampabilities Pink Ribbon

Ink:  Melon Mambo, Versamark

Paper:  Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Me & My Big Ideas DSP stack

Tools/Accessories:  Big Shot, Stripes embossing folder, 3 inch circle die, Heat Tool, Iridescent Ice embossing powder

I am totally obsessed with Instagram lately!  Here's one from a few weeks ago that I was playing around with.  I just fall more in love with this girl every day.