Team Meeting Cards

Here are the cards we made at Chris' Stars team meeting with us. Chris designed each one, so we could try new card designs, techniques and stamp sets.

This card is 5 x 7 and has the a leaf from the new leaf embellishments that CTMH carries. I didn't think I would like these leaves, but Chris had the idea of stamping the vein from the new Nature's Vein set. This stamp set is on my wish list, so I guess the leaves are too. Chris had pewter brads on the top and bottom of the polka dotted pattern paper. I messed them up, when I put them on, so I replaced them with cocoa grosgrain ribbon. A mistake is always a reason to just change things a little...LOL! The stamped tag image is from the new Ticket For All Seasons stamp set and the "for you" is from the September 2007 stamp of the month.

I like this card, because of the way it opens and the scallops. This is from the new Caprice paper pack CTMH carries in their fall 2007 idea book and the September 2007 stamp of the month. We made with scallops with a corner rounder

The little bird has glitter on his tail and wing. Chris had "a little birdie told me it was your birthday" inside the card. Cute, huh?

This is a flip flop card. I have never worked with this design. I really like it. It works well with sentiments, because part of the sentiment can go on the outside, and then flip to the inside and finish the sentiment. I think I will have to make more of these.

So you can see the way it opens, here is the card partially opened. Isn't it cool?

This is the Caprice paper and the September 2007 stamp of the month too.

Have a great day and blog candy is coming on Sunday! I think I will have Tanner pick the candy for you.

I almost have my zoo layout done. I have the pictures printed, but I need to put them on the pages and embellish a little more.

Take time to create!

Always & Forever

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you don't get anything done and the day is over? Well, I had one of those today, Thursday. I had a CTMH team meeting in the morning after I dropped the boys off to school, picked up Tanner from school right after the meeting, ran an errand in the afternoon and next thing I knew it was time to pick up Tate from school. Then I was making supper and off to get my hair cut. When I got home the boys wanted to go for a bike ride and then it was dark and I hadn't worked on my scrapbook layout all day. That is why I am posting the card I made earlier this week. I hope to find some time on Friday to print pictures. Oh, I had to update our security software on our desktop too. That takes FOREVER! Enough of non-stamping talk....

When I started this card, I was trying to complete the double resist technique and forgot I was supposed to use glossy cardstock, so the only image that showed up was the image I clear embossed. I sat at my scrap table wondering why it wasn't turning out, when I had a V8 moment...duh, wrong paper. I couldn't throw this 6 x 6 card away, so I continued on and this is what I ended up creating.

This is another first time I have used one of my stamp sets, Adorable. All the stamped images came from this set. I used the More To Adore paper pack and chocolate ribbon rounds from the designer ribbon collection CTMH carries. I like how it all matches. I distressed the edges of everything with the new distressing chalk ink from CTMH. I found out today at our meeting that chalk inks are drier than dye based ink and when this little distressing pad dries up I will just throw it away and buy a new one. They are inexpensive, so that is okay.

I used parchment photo clips to accent the Always & Forever and stamped "treasure" in the upper right hand corner. I put pop dots behind the images on the left side of the card and all have chocolate brads in the middle. When I made this, I thought of an anniversary card, so I stamped "Happy Anniversary" inside.

I am going to take pictures of the three cards we made at our team meeting and will post later. No, I haven't forgotten that I mentioned blog candy. I will post some blog candy over the weekend. Friday, I am going birthday shopping for Tanner. I might actually like this trip to Toys 'R Us, because I won't have any kids with me asking for everything and not wanting to leave. It might break a time record....LOL!

Happy Stamping!

eat cake

This is the first time I completed a Splitcoaststampers challenge. Every Wednesday, they have a sketch challenge and I am going to try to complete them...but no promises. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I am so used to just sitting down and designing when I create that following a specific pattern and designing around it was foreign to me.

I am still on the bright colored kick. I completed two cards with a little variation, because I had the scraps sitting on my desk and had to use them. Maybe I should change my name to Scrap Lady.

I like how the "eat cake" sentiment on top of the cake plate turned out. I saw these two stamps side by side in my scrap rack and the sentiment looked like a cake to me, so I put them together.

At first, I wasn't sure if I liked this card, but it has grown on me. The sketch challenge did not call for embellishments in the upper right corner, but I couldn't resist. I used Flower Power paper pack, which is retired. I couldn't believe how the American Crafts popsicle ribbon had the same color combination.

As you can see...my Cuttlebug strikes again! I am so glad I got my bug for Mother's Day. This is a must in my book. If it is on your wish list, make sure you use your 40% off coupon at Michael's or Hobby Lobby. Another tool I seem to use a lot is my Tim Holtz distressing tool. CTMH has one in there new fall idea book. It seems to distress paper better than my Tim Holtz one, but it wasn't as close to my work station as the Tim Holtz one was...can you say lazy? I need to put my CTMH one in my Totetally Cool bag. I used the following stamp sets: Happy Birthday(sentiment) , Birthday Bash (cake plate), Happy Day (eat cake, retired). If you would like a stamp set that has Happy Birthday and Celebrate in different fonts Happy Birthday is the one to get. I use it on many projects.

I can't decide if I am going to post a layout or another card tomorrow. I have a Zoo layout I am working on presently. It depends on if I get the time to print pictures.

I almost forgot to show you my embellishment center from Making Memories. It is up and almost filled. I am waiting for some little jars my sister has for me. The jars on it now are plastic. They are awesome! I like the fact they are light and don't weigh down the shelf. It has been fun filling with all the products I have hidden in cupboards.

Happy Stamping!

Let's Get Together

This is a new card design for me. I saw this on another blog and just had to try it. The card is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2; however, the front is scored at 2 1/8 and folded back. You can see the card opened below to see what I mean by folding the front. I used Let's Get Together paper packet and Delight In Everything stamp set. I think it would look a little better if I had used the same section of pattern paper, so the lines came together. Again, I was using my scraps. I will have to remember this the next time.

Another first for me was using my conchos to tie the ribbon through my card. The ribbon is from the designer ribbon rounds which match the paper and stamp set perfectly. The colors I used were breeze, cranberry, buttercup, garden green and colonial white, white daisy and breeze cardstock. The conchos are buttercup and the brads are Paper Crafts (non-CTMH), but match the cranberry color. I finished the card with a little bling again. Oh, I almost forgot I used my concave punch on the main image. My sister finally broke down and bought one of these too! These little punches are hard to find in local stores. She had to order it online.

Here is the opened card to show the sentiment "Happy Birthday to you" and a few stamped flowers inside. I liked making this new design. I think I will have to create more of them. Sorry the color isn't as good on the second picture. My camera just doesn't flash when there is a lot of white.

My youngest son, Tanner's, birthday is a week from today, so watch for a chance for blog candy soon! He will be three years old. He picked out his cake today and of course, he picked what most three year old boys pick...Light McQueen from the CARS movie. Have you seen this? I really like this one. Mater is hilarious. If you have ever seen Larry the Cable Guy's act, Mater IS Larry the Cable Guy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Technique Tuesday - Shaving Cream

Do you have your sunglasses on? Well, you better get them when you get to my card below. BRIGHT!

This technique is a little messy, but it does look nice. The 6 x 6 layout was created by April Kegg, CTMH Independent Consultant. Here are her directions:

Materials

• cardstock (I used glossy paper.)
• shaving cream (not gel)
• 1-3 re-inkers
• cookie sheet covered with foil (I used a paper plate.)
  
• small shower squeegee (I used a popsicle stick and paper towels.)
  
• lots of paper towels

Directions:

1. Squeeze enough shaving cream onto the foil covered cookie sheet as big as your piece of cardstock.
2. Sprinkle a few drops of the re-inkers into the shaving cream.
3. Use a straw or paint brush handle to swirl the colors. (I used a popsicle stick.) Do not mix too much or colors will combine and you will have a solid color.
4. Place cardstock straight down into the shaving cream. Press to get full coverage.
5. Gently pull up and lay onto a clean paper towel. Use the shower squeegee to remove the access shaving cream and behold your masterpiece. (I used paper towels to do this.)

Viola! Put your sunglasses on...here is the card I made with this technique. I used watermelon, ocean and citrus leaf re-inkers. I made a 6 x 6 card (first one for me), because the piece of glossy paper was bigger than a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card. I didn't want to cut it.

Guess what? I didn't use glossy cardstock from my scrapbook supply. I used a piece of glossy photo paper that was left over from printing pictures. I got this idea, because I hate throwing away this paper. Sometimes I only use a small piece of the 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of Photo Paper plus glossy. I think it worked perfectly.

I used white daisy pigment ink for the Celebrate sentiment. I heat set it with my embossing gun to ensure it was dry. It takes a long time for pigment ink to dry and I am not patient enough to wait. I used white embossing powder on the party images and brads in the middle of them. I finished them with pop dots, so they would jump off the card. Other supplies I used are listed below.

Okay, you can take your sunglasses off now. Well, you better wait until you look away from the screen...LOL!

Supplies used: Paper - white daisy, watermelon, ocean and kiwi cardstock, glossy photo paper; Ink - White Daisy pigment ink; Stamp set - It's A Party; Accessories - white brads, white daisy bigger brads, white gel pen, American Crafts ribbon, white embossing powder.


Now it is your turn! Happy Stamping!

Different For Me

Wow! This design is a different one for me. I started out with a new stamp I bought at Michaels, which you can't see. I used it as the background on the blush cardstock. Then I wanted to use my scraps again. I just can't get ahead of my scrap pile. In addition, I wanted to try out my golden sand embossing powder. I bought this at Archivers when I scrapped on a Friday night. They showed it with a beach layout and used it on the letters. It looked really cool, which made me want some. I like the color and the effect. I am so glad I set my embossing gun and supplies out in my scrap room. I use them now that I see them all the time.

I distressed the paper with the new distressing ink pad that CTMH carries in their new fall idea book. I embossed both the Alfresco image and Thinking of You sentiment and used pop dots behind both. The border on the top and bottom of the green pattern paper is a ribbon stamp from the Alfresco set. I don't use this set that often, but really like it. I finished the embossed Alfresco image with a copper brad I bought from QVC a long time ago. The chocolate and colonial white ribbon is from the designer ribbon rounds from CTMH too.

Can you say busy? I think this card ended up a bit busy. Oh well, back to the scrap room.

I keep forgetting to write about the comments all of you leave me. I love them and thanks for taking the time to comment. If you ask me a question, I will answer it in the same comment section unless you ask me to email you. I saw on a blog once...Leave a comment, bloggers love them! This is so true! I like to see what you think of my projects. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Monday!

M O N O C H R O M A T I C

This stamped image is from the Make A Wish set from Gina K Designs. You need to check her site out and see the complete set. She donates $7.00 to the Make A Wish foundation. I fell in love with this set, when I saw what other stampers were creating with this great set.



This dandelion just screamed ink popping to me. I am not sure if that is the technical term, but I can't think of it right now. I embossed the image with white embossing powder and used various colors of ink and my daubers to make the image pop. When I started making the cards, I found myself selecting monochromatic papers.


I used my Cuttlebug again and embossed the "wish" sentiment with white embossing powder too.











I finished the card off with a little bling by adding the little flowers. Which one is your favorite? I think my favorite is the pink one.


Happy Stamping!

Happy Birthday Bling

I made this card as the make-n-take for a gathering that I have in September. The design is from the card originals program that CTMH carries in their catalog. The design is named Peek-A-Boo in the 5 x 7 section. I made a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card and adapted the measurements to my card.

This card is a simple design and easy to make. I don't like the make-n-takes at a gathering to be too difficult, because there is usually a lot going on that evening.

Supplies used: Paper - white daisy cardstock, Birthday Bash pattern paper; Stamp sets - It's A Party, Happy Birthday; Ink - sunflower, clover meadow, holiday red, star spangled blue; Embellishments - white daisy grosgrain ribbon, rhinestones from JoAnn Fabrics (unknown company)


Have a great weekend!

Rest of the Kit

I finished the final four cards of the card kit available in September. This kit was easy to work with and the really like the colors.


Sorry about the lighting on this one. It seems that when the card is mainly white my camera doesn't want to use the flash.



Another one that can be used for any occasion.



I used my empressor guide and tool on this one.



The instructions had love you on this card, but I always need more thank you cards.

Have a great day!

Back To School

I took the usual first day of school pictures today and got them on a layout. Yes, I did! Don't think for a minute I am caught up with my scrapbooks. NO WAY! I don't have preschool or kindergarten school pictures scrapped yet. I should have done them first; however, I was downloading the pictures from today. I thought why not just get them on a layout too! I created this two-page layout when I went to my sister's a couple of weeks ago.

The first day of school went better than I expected, but Tate did cry at breakfast and he said he cried a little when he got in his classroom. Hopefully, that is the end of it. I feel bad for him, since he dislikes change so much. If you click on the first page of the layout below you will see Tate is smiling before school, but when he is standing by his teacher he is not happy. Eventually, he will love going to school just like he did last year. In addition, notice Tanner had to put his backpack on and stand by Tate even though he doesn't start until Monday.

I tell ya...the Cherish and Imagine books from CTMH are my favorite. I use them to create pages and then when I have pictures...viola! I am done with a layout. I used to always scrap chronologically, but I am not so hung up on that anymore. Eventually, I will get to all my pictures....eventually! I am not so stressed to get my pictures done, since I changed my scrapping method. I choose which ones fit the layout the best.

Supplies used: Paper - School Zone paper pack, School Zone My Stickease, Sunflower cardstock, Outdoor Denim cardstock, Cranberry cardstock; Ink - Cranberry; Stamp sets - School Zone, Essential Alphabet, Sans Small Caps, The Works Alphabet; Tools - Empressor Guide and Empressor Tool.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stamping!

My Favorite

This is my favorite from the card kit I have been working with from CTMH. I put pop dots behind the bloom to make it stand out from the stem. This is in the directions that come in the kit, so I can't take credit for that idea. This card is so simple, yet so pretty. I can't wait to brighten someone's day by sending them this thank you. I would love to receive this.

I showed one of my friends the card kit from the September promotion and she loved it too. It is on her wish list.

Well, Tate goes back to school today (Wednesday) and is a little apprehensive. He likes to stay home with his mom and brother. He told me yesterday that he wished a person just had to go to pre-school and kindergarten and that was it. LOL! I told him going to school is how you learn and get smarter. He asked me if I could just teach him at home. I laughed again and said "No, you need to go to school." I know some people home school, but I couldn't do it. I just don't have the patience to be a grade school teacher. I can go over homework and teach him to read, but not everything. I would want to start teaching him color theory and how to make a great layout...ROFL! Cross your fingers that he doesn't cry on his first day. I think he might. God bless his teacher!

Thanks for stopping by!

Technique Tuesday - Chalk Marbled Background

This is a new technique for me. The first time I tried it I didn't swirl the chalk enough, and it came out spotted chalk background...LOL! I still might use it, but not for this one. This 6 x 6 layout was created by Theresa Woolworth, CTMH Independent consultant for a swap we participated in with other consultants. This technique is another great way to use your chalks and it very easy to do. Here are the directions:

Chalked Marbled Background

Put about an inch of water into a pan slightly bigger than your cardstock. With a knife, scrape chalk dust off one or more colors onto the surface of the water. Using a knife make swirls in the water (don't over swirl or you will lose the marbled effect). Lower the paper flat onto the surface of the water to pick up the color, immediately lifting the cardstock back out of the water. Allow the cardstock to dry flat on paper towels. If your paper develops puckers, it can be ironed to flatten it. You can even press the paper between heavy books to flatten it.

Here is a card that I made with using this technique. I didn't use many layers, so I wouldn't cover up the marbled background. Go ahead....try this at home!

Supplies: cardstock - blush, white daisy, hollyhock; ink - blush, hollyhock, garden green; stamp sets - Happy Birthday, Cherish; accessories - Paper Crafts brads, American Crafts grosgrain ribbon, chalk.

Happy Stamping!

Card Kit 3

I got time to make card #3 from the card kit today. This one did not call for a sentiment, but if you wanted to you could stamp one and add it to the card.

These cards are not my usual style, but I really like the colors. There are many ways you can dress these up, but I wanted to show you the simple styles. Sometimes, I don't have time to make detailed cards. I might need a bunch of thank yous or birthday cards. It seems like I am always running low on them.

I should have more time to stamp this coming week. Our company is going home Monday morning. My boys are starting school this week and we still need to shop for school supplies. Yes, I put this off to the last week. I can't believe summer vacation is over! I was just thinking today that I need to start designing my Christmas cards. It will be here before I know it.

Happy Monday!

For You

I had time to work on another quick card from the card kit from the CTMH September promotion. Did I tell you that the kit includes a piece of sandpaper too? It does and it is awesome! This kit comes with everything you need to make these cards. They thought of everything. I hope to make one of these cards each day.

We still have company and I think the kids went swimming for almost eight hours today. They got out to eat lunch and snacks and finally decided to call it quits at 6 p.m. They are talking about going back in after dark to swim with the pool light on, but I don't know if they will make it until then.

Thank for stopping by and hope you are having a great weekend!

Thank You

This is so cool! CTMH is offering a great promotion in September where you can earn a free card box with all the materials to make 16 cards. There are eight different designs. Here is the first one I worked on tonight. All the paper is pre-cut for you. You even get a really nice stamp set worth $22.95. The card base is colonial white and the cardstock is sunflower.

The card box even includes instructions for each card design. Once you are done with the cards, you can store them in the nice striped card box that has a magnetic closure. I will show you all the goodies over the next few days. Of course, I could order mine early since I am a Independent Consultant. I hope you enjoy this card series as much as I will enjoy making them. It is perfect for the person who likes to follow directions (my sister).

Also, did you notice my new watermark. You have to click on the card to see it better. It has a tree behind my name to match my banner. AWESOME! This is the first time I have used it, so I need practice on how to size it. I ordered a transparent, white and black one from Beth at Freckled Fun Designs. Beth did a great job creating exactly what I wanted the first time. She makes both blog banners and watermarks for a very reasonable price. Get over to her blog and check it out. You might see some familiar blog banners.

Have a great weekend!

Nice Matters Award

I received the Nice Matters Award from Cindy at Creating with Heart. You need to check out her blog, because she is the nice one. She offers blog candy every Friday. Wow! How nice is that? Now, I need to nominate five others for this "Nice" award. Hmmm! Well, of course I have to nominate Jeanne, at Creative Bliss because she helped me with my great blog banner. I will nominate other new blogs I have subscribed to lately, because they are so nice to share their talent with everyone who stops by:

Kat at Doodles and Dragonflies
Linda at Stamping in the Moonlight
Michelle at Bella Kitty Creations
Susie at Berkerblog

Have fun blogging!

Dress Up A Dollar

I still haven't taken the time to stamp. It seems like we are spending all of our time out at the pool this week with my nieces and nephew visiting. I don't think kids understand the importance of stamping every day, so my daily stamping is suffering...LOL!

I got this address book at Target in the dollar hot spot and altered it for my sister. Her last name starts with "H". The book is bright yellow so Giggles & Grins pattern paper is perfect for this. I used solo "h" for the monogram. In addition, I used paper flowers to dress it up. To finish it off, I tied both Holiday Red and Goldrush organdy ribbon around the spine.

I hope to get back to stamping soon, but it probably won't be until our company heads home.

Thanks for stopping by!

Embellishment Center

Okay, I haven't had time to stamp yet this week. Today, I finished cleaning for company, ran errands and took my youngest to the doctor. He has strep, so all the kisses I gave him at the doctor's office while we were playing in the room might be more than I thought I was getting. Oh well, kisses from my boys are worth whatever sickness I might get. There will be one day they won't give kisses so freely.

I want to show you what I bought at Michaels this weekend with my 40% off coupon. It is from Making Memories and it is called an embellishment center. This is the picture on the box. I saw this on another blog and I knew just where to put it in my scrapbook room. The Michaels in Omaha does not carries these, so I got mine in Des Moines.

The picture above is what it is supposed to look like completely filled. I don't think mine will look that pretty, but it will still be a nice addition to my room.


This is what mine looks like now on the floor. Now I have to talk my husband into hanging it up for me. Yes, I know I could do it on my own. I don't like to have to figure out how to hang it perfectly straight and what to use, so it doesn't fall off the wall when I fill it. If he does it, I know it will stay hanging and if it doesn't, it isn't my fault. LOL!

I will have to show you my embellishment center once I have it up and filled. It might take awhile, so don't hold you breath...

Have a great day!

All That Glitter

Isn't this gorgeous?! Over the weekend, I was scrapping with my sister in Chariton, Iowa. Well, I always have to stop by Scrapbook Heaven owned by Sarah. Her store is set up so nicely and she always has great projects to see. Here is her information:

Scrapbook Heaven
925 Braden Avenue

P.O Box 309

Chariton, IA 50049

641-774-4002

641-774-4321
scrapbook_heaven@yahoo.com

She created this butterfly with art glitter. She used the book Glitter Activity by Barbara Trombley. I just had to buy this butterfly and the art glitter kit, so I could try this at home. She says it is easy. I am not very good with glitter, so I will let you know when I try it. I want to practice on a big image, so I will search through my stamp sets to pick an easy one.

Here is a close up of the butterfly at a different angle. Sarah created many different butterflies using various colors of glitter, but I fell in love with the Monarch version with the Fall glitter set.

To see more of art glitter, check out their website www.artglitter.com.

Take time to create!

Technique Tuesday - Paper Tearing

This 6 x 6 layout for paper tearing was created by Amanda Ross, CTMH Independent Consultant. Here are her instructions for paper tearing and paper rolling:

Paper Tearing

Cut out cardstock bigger than the final dimensions. Holding the paper in one hand, tear the paper edge towards you exposing the white core. Leave it like this or run the edges across an ink pad to color slightly for a different look.

Paper Rolling is done with or without the tearing process. Attach your photo to your mat, and tear around the photo leaving a 1/2" - 1" margin. (For smaller mats your might want to leave even less.) Now, curl the mat edges forward around any object that is long and skinny, e.g. pencils, nail, wooden skewer, toothpick. If you want to see the white edge on the front of a rolled mat, be sure to flip your mat over before you roll it. This allows the torn edge to be rolled to the front.

The nice thing about CTMH paper is that all of it, even the textured cardstock has a white core. Paper tearing is a great effect that is easy to do for layouts and cards. Here are some cards made using the paper tearing technique. You can click on each card to enlarge it. All cards were created by CTMH Independent Consutlants.

This card was created by Jenny Ambrose.









This card was created by Karen Smith.











This card was designed by Chris Shouse. I created it as a make-n-take at an all day crop.











This card was created by me. I used the square square window charms for the presents. I adhered pattern paper behind them. I got this idea from Chris Shouse. She created a birthday for Karen Smith with this present design.



Happy Stamping!

You R Snow Fun

This is my 100th post...YEAH! I can't believe I had posted that many times already. I just love blogging and receiving all the blogs I subscribe to.

This is going to be another quick one. I got home tonight, Sunday and we are now trying to decide whether we are going to Adventureland on Monday. It is supposed to be 99 degrees in Omaha on Monday and Des Moines is not that far away, so it will be about the same. That seems awful hot to be out all day at an amuzement park on asphalt. I am sure the lines will be long at all the water rides and Tanner might not be tall enough to ride some of them. We are going to decide in the morning. I can't believe it is going to be so hot, because right now it is cool outside after the big rain storm we had this evening.

I made three of these cards for all my boys (Hubby, Tate and Tanner). I always like cards that play on words and have seen this saying before. Hope you like it!

Later this week, I will be showing you my new watermark and a really pretty butterfly I found at a scrapbook store in Chariton, Iowa.

Happy Monday!

Scrap Happy

I don't have any artwork to share with you today. I have been scrapping like a mad woman and getting a lot done. I hope to have something for you on Monday. My husband and I are taking our boys to Adventureland in Des Moines, IA on Monday, so I might have to pull from the archives or skip Technique Tuesday. It is supposed to be in the high 90s on Monday. When we get home, I am sure we will be ready for bed.

I can't wait to show you what I have been working on this weekend!

Happy Stamping!

Think Happy Thoughts

I bought this "Think Happy Thoughts" stamp set from Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon. Those coupons burn holes in my pocket each time they come out. LOL! I really liked the saying, so I had to use it right away this week.

This little girl was another stamped image that I stamped awhile ago. She looks so happy that I thought she went with this new stamp I bought. When I added the "Hi", it just all fell into place. As you can see I used my Cuttlebug again on the amethyst cardstock. I colored the little girl in with CTMH markers.

I had fun scrapbook shopping with my sister. Of course, I had to buy some new organizational "stuff" and scrapbooking/stamping supplies. I will show you what I purchased soon!

Recipe:

Paper: amethyst, bubblegum, sunny yellow and white daisy cardstock; Flower Power paper packet.

Ink: hydrangea

Accessories: bubblegum organdy ribbon, sunkiss yellow organdy ribbon, white daisy brads, Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Have a great day!

BOYS RULE

I had fun creating this page and searching for pictures to add to the layout. I wanted to get action shots of my boys, especially Tate since it goes in his scrapbook. This first page has him playing with a car track with his idol, Jacob. Jacob is my sister's 16 year old son. At the time the picture was taken Jacob was 14 and Tate was four. Jacob can't live a minute without my boys hanging on him and saying his name. He is a wonderful big cousin to look up to. He plays so nicely with my boys and they love him!

Tate is jumping on a trampoline with another cousin, Ben. He is my oldest brother's son. Tate and Ben are six months apart in age, so they love playing with each other.

I used Lazy Days of Summer paper pack and My Stickease on this two-page layout. I wanted to accent the layout with red to give it a little *POW*. I like how it turned out.

Tate is acting like Spiderman jumping off a chair in the family room wearing his Spiderman boxers. On the top little picture, Tate is relaxing in the baby pool we used to have with Tanner. You can see the layout better when you click on the images.

I used Rustic Alphabet for the title. I think that one is my favorite "E" sized alphabet that CTMH carries. In the little jar I used the stamp set BUGS to stamp the little lighting bugs and colored them in with markers. For the tabs, I used my tab punch I bought at Hobby Lobby.

I forgot to give you Jeanne's blog site Creative Bliss, when I wrote about her making my blog banner. She is so awesome! Check out her site! I have tagged her before, but you still need to visit to see what she has been up to lately. Jeanne is getting into digital scrapbooking and is very good at it.

Friday morning I am off to meet my sister for lunch (Happy Joe's) and scrapbook shopping in Des Moines, Iowa! Happy Joe's is a pizza and ice cream parlor that makes the best taco pizza. Well, I think so, because I grew up eating this wonderful pizza pie. After shopping, we are going to a weekend crop. Yippee! How can it get any better than that?

Have a great weekend!

Here He Is.....

First and foremost, do you see my awesome blog banner? My good friend, Jeanne Tomshack, resized my picture from the sidebar, so I could use it on my banner. I love it! She is so talented! That is sooooo cool! Thanks, Jeanne!

Here is the counterpart to the girl get well card. Yes, he has a hat on...I just think he is having a bad hair day, since he is sick. I gave birth to my oldest son, Tate, with a hat on and the nurses were laughing. We went to the hospital in the middle of the night after I took a shower, so my hair was REALLY bad! I didn't take the time to dry it, because my contractions were very close together. Instead of a good hairdo, I decided to get to the hospital.

I used a pattern paper I bought over a year ago and never used. The Clover Meadow cardstock is CTMH and I ran it through my Cuttlebug. I used CMTH markers and Star Spangled cardstock and grosgrain ribbon, silver photo clips and a dimenstional element. Get Well sentiment is from For Every Occassion (2007 April stamp of the month).

I would love to know which one you like better. Leave a comment and let me know.

AND NOW.....BLOG CANDY WINNER IS #4.


Peggy Maier

Peggy wrote..."My favorite technique would have to be embossing. However, I would like to see something about making different background papers using re-inkers."

Peggy send me your street address to stampfest@cox.net and I will get your goodies to you as soon as possible. CONGRATULATIONS!

Tomorrow I have another scrapbook layout for you. Stop by and see!

Take time to inspire!

Get Well Girly

This is from a stamp set that I don't own, but wanted to use it in a different way than the stamp set is named. The stamp set is Under The Stars and is with other stamps that would be for camping or sleeping in a tent. I stamped this image about a month ago, so I could color in images when I have a chance. There is a boy image that I will post tomorrow with the same sentiments and design.

When I saw this sitting on my desk, I thought of getting out of bed and the idea of a get well card came to mind. I really liked how this card and the one I will post on Thursday turned out. Instead of using my prismacolors, I used my CTMH markers. The markers are vibrant and easy to use. I used the Flower Power pattern paper (retired) and Bubblegum, White Daisy and Amethyst cardstock. I ran the Amethyst cardstock through my Cuttlebug. Boy, I love that machine for embossing. I haven't used it much for die cutting yet. I like the fact that I can use many different dies in it too.

I wish I had a stamp that read "Hope you are back on your feet soon." Since I don't, I typed it on Microsoft Word and printed it off on White Daisy cardstock and added photo clips. Then I stamped Get Well on a dimensional element and tied it on with 3/8 inch White Daisy organdy ribbon. In addition, I used my concave punch.

Isn't she cute? Well, I don't know many of you who smile when you are sick, but I guess it is a happy card. Watch for the boy get well card AND the blog candy winner will be announced on Thursday, since I am drawing the name Wednesday. YIPEE!

Happy Stamping!

Tagged, But Not Forgotten

I almost forgot that I have been tagged by michongarf. I think she likes Garfield a little. I don't have many new blogs to share with you that I haven't already. I really like one of the most recent blog sites, Distinctive Touches, I joined. Colleen has great tutorials. In fact, she has one on Pearl-Ex powders right now. I haven't used these much. These little powders interest me, so I have them on my wish list. Man, my wish list is long. There are so many new items that come out I will never be done shopping....YEAH!

Take time to create!

Technique Tuesday - Fun Flock

Okay, first I had to change my blog color again, because my sister kept telling me that pink just isn't me. She is right. I usually never pick pink. I told her I was trying to think out of the box to help with my creativity. I don't think she cared. That is the way it is with family...they are just blunt and honest.

Second, I found the tree picture on my computer under sample pictures and just loved it, so I added it to my sidebar. I just love trees. There is a stamp set on my wish list (non-CTMH) that has a set of trees and I can't wait to get it. Once I get it, I am sure you will see some tree artwork.

Now, for Technique Tuesday. Today, I decided to show Flock. It is very hot and humid here, so I thought these would at least make me think of cool days. Maybe a little too cool...LOL!

Fun Flock

This 6 x 6 technique layout was created by a CTMH consultant. She didn't sign her page, so I cannot give her name.

Apply a think layer of glue onto the area that you want to "fluff". Sprinkle the fun flock onto the area. Push it down gently into the glue. Do your flocking as the last step in your project. Be sure to allow the flocking to set for a least 24 hours to be sure that it sticks to the adhesive you have used.

You can't see from the small picture that well, but she put the fun flock on the snowflake. Here is a card I made last year with fun flock. I used it for Santa's fur on the front of his jacket.

You can use fun flock on bunny tails, teddy bears or anything that is furry. In addition, I have heard you can add reinker to it and use it for colored images like a baby chick. Oh, maybe I should try it on my teddy bear stamp set. That would be cool!

Don't forget to enter the blog candy giveaway below by telling me what your favorite technique is and what technique you would like to see.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stamping!

Embossed Butterfly

I have been reading your comments and I am so glad, because I have had these 3 x 3 cards on my desk for a few weeks and didn't know what image to put on them. Every time I stamped an image it just didn't look right. Since so many of you have written that you like to emboss I tried this technique. I was finally satisfied with how they looked. THANKS! I need to emboss more. I think I don't, because my embossing gun is not out all the time. As they say...out of sight, out of mind. That would be true in this case. I need to find a place to have my embossing gun and powders out and I think I would use them more.

I think butterflies are so elegant and when I see flowers I think of them. I did not stamp much this weekend, because we spent a lot of time out by our pool. It has been so humid. I see the butterflies around our flowers, and that makes me want to use my butterfly images. I like the "real" looking ones the best.

I took a picture of three of the four cards together, so you could see how light effects the look of an embossed image depending on where it was in relation to the light. Okay, I am really going to have to set my embossing gun on my windowsill now. I definitely need to use it more. I love these butterflies. By the way, the name of the stamp set is Butterflies too. I used Buttercup and Spring Iris cardstock.

Another technique I used on these cards are using my clear block as a solid stamp. I stamped the block with no image on the ink pad and stamped the clear block on the Buttercup cardstock. Viola! It stamps a really neat square image for a background. I used Sweet Leaf ink to complete this technique. I learned this from my upline in Close To My Heart, Chris. The stamping community is a vast resource for new and cool ideas. I {heart} being part of this community.

Happy Monday!