Monday, June 30, 2008

I Wanna Be A Cowboy

Well, I said I would be back...I honestly thought it would be before now! I spent almost all morning on the phone with Dell and my Internet provider trying to figure out what's what with my email. NO solutions! Just a wasted day!

I can check my email on our desktop...it's just not as convenient! Saturday I had some message that asked me if I wanted to allow Vista to do something? Who knows what! I checked NO! I didn't read it! I was outside trying to catch up on blogs and email...I didn't feel like reading it! If anyone knows of how to uncheck whatever I checked that cancelled my email with Vista...I'm open to suggestions!

Anyway! Off to something fun! For todays scrapbook sketch challenge over at Unity...I actually decided to do a scrapbook page! The first one I participated in I used the sketch for a card. Hey, it's not that I don't scrapbook, it's that I am not that comfortable with it! I have some pretty ideas about scrapbooking....they almost never involve much of anything at all except for a picture!

Well, I was excited to give this a try! I do love to stretch myself...I don't always like the result when I do this but I do it anyway! If you want to see the sketch you can find it here. ...and you can see my page here....

Ok...I'm thinking it's not so bad for my very first sketch with a scrapbook page. I can go nuts with cards and sketches but pages are a bit more of a challenge. I don't know...you can be the judge. I guess the only thing that matters is that the star of the page LOVED it! :) He giggled when he saw it! This was actually for crazy hat day at a camp he went to. The hat was one that I had during chemo. Yes, I actually wore this thing with a bandana...and yes, I looked RIDICULOUS in this hat! But hey...not quite as ridiculous as I did without the hat! ;)

Ok...I am off to take a break. I was hoping to get some stamping done....not thinking this will happen tonight! I am worn out! It's been a long day trying to get the computer working and keep up with kids! I will get something done tomorrow!

I am planning a quickie tutorial tomorrow for this little candy container that I shared during Unity's release party. I had planned on having it for you today but it was really hard to stamp, take pictures and take care of the kids while talking to Dell! I love my computer but you can really lose time on the phone with that company!

Have a wonderful night! I will post you all soon! :)

Way To Much Time On My Hands!

Ok...so last night I was going through the forums at SCS. Let me tell you! I don't often peruse these...it's a bit overwhelming! There is soooo much information here! It's awesome....but a bit intimidating.

Well, after checking out some of the member forums I headed over to the challenge forum. I had planned on working on the weekly sketch challenge. Well there are so many challenges....color, sketch, limited supply....I could go on!

Here's where I have to much time on my hands at night! I made a little challenge for myself. I wanted to see just how many of these challenges I could combine in one card. Well...I got six!

Here's my card....
I used my Unity kit 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning'...I love this little birdy set! I started with the sketch challenge #SC182. Then I stumbled upon the ever so talented and sweet Sherry Cheever who had a challenge #TLC174 that watercolored using your reinkers...something I NEVER remember to do! The problem here???...I couldn't find my watercolor paper. I used card stock. I did however try to glue it down sufficiently to smooth it all out but it's just not the same.

Once I got really frustrated with watercoloring on regular card stock I decided to paper piece the little birdy. And guess what??? There's a challenge for that! A couple in fact! I searched and came up with #TLC39...paper piecing and #WT163...ways to use scissors and paper piecing was one of those ways! Woohoo! Up to four now!

Then I checked out the color challenges...and there was one that used bashful blue, certainly celery and chocolate chip. I had everything except the chocolate chip so I added the back mat and the ribbon. ...The ribbon reminded me of the knotty challenge #lsc172! Another which brings me to 6! Woohoo!

Ok...it's a record for me! Do you see where I have a bit of a problem! ;) Ok...there are obviously real problems out there! ;) I think I may do this a bit more often! That was fun! I'm not sure that I could beat 6! But it will be fun to try!

Thanks for indulging! I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday! It's funday Monday here. I'm not quite sure what we are doing today. I've spent all moring on the phone trying to fix my email problem. If you need to send me a message my yahoo account is fine so no worries there!

I am stepping away for a bit! I will be back later to post my first ever scrapbook sketch page! Talk about stepping outside of your comfort zone! Scrapbook - check....card sketch challenges - check.....Scrapbook sketch challenge! Wowza! That is totally foreign to me! I worked on this yesterday. It needs ....something....I am going to finish that during Hayden's nap and then post it here.

Have a wonderful funday Monday of your own! ;)

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Page Plans Sketch Sunday

Hey all you happy stampers out there! How's your weekend going? How's mine you ask??? Well, I've spent the last two days trying to figure out why in heck I can't check my email! Ugh! Computer whiz I am not! For some reason my email is neither sending nor receiving!

This is why I haven't posted...and am late in getting my Page Plans card to you! I would show you the sketch...but I hadn't saved it to my computer yet...which means it's still stuck in my locked up email! But, not to worry you can find both the layout and card sketch here.

I can, however, show you my card for this week. I used my Bliss & Birdie set from Unity Stamp Company for this one. Let me tell you! ...that set is getting quite the workout from me this week! LOVE this set! Here's my card...

Make sure and check out the rest of the Page Plans team. You will see some amazing cards and layouts this week! These gals rock!

Hope you are all having a happy, safe weekend! I'm off. I have to walk away from the computer for a bit. I think I will play a game with the boys. It looks like it's going to storm here so we are spending the day with inside games.

Take care and I will post you soon! :)

Friday, June 27, 2008

A Quickie Christmas Card

It's that time of year when I start to think about Christmas cards. Today I created one using my Papertrey Guide Lines and Holiday Wishes stamp sets. This is what I created....


Super Simple...Still loving the white....and I LOVE this sentiment.

Ok...off again...I've had a few breaks today to get these two cards done...this and the one from the last post....I probably won't have another break until later...who knew today was going to turn into such a stamp fest! I love days like these!

Take care and I will post you soon! :)

It's A Card Combo!

Ok...really quick before we head out...I had to post the card I made for this weeks Unity Inspiration Challenge. The cool thing about this card is that it was such a super quickie it fits with Sharon's challenge as well! Now I have two!...ever the overachiever! ;)

Here's my card.

If you get a chance to play with the Unity challenge be sure and upload your cards to SCS using the keyword UIC06...Sharon's keyword is ssnotime41...I don't think I put that in the other post.

Hope you all have a fab day! I will post you soon! :)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The 10 Minute Tuesday Card...

Hey all you Stamp Simply fans out there! Who doesn't love Sharon! She's just the cutest, sweetest gal around! This week she has such a fun Stamp Simply challenge! It's the '10 Minute Tuesday' challenge!

You know that every Tuesday Sharon has her 10 minute card. Well today's challenge is to create a 10 minute card! What a perfect challenge for this time of year! Who isn't just running around like a chicken with it's head cut off...eeewwww...sorry that was really gross to picture! If you aren't running around ....like a mad woman...or guy! ;) Then you are probably spending so much time outside enjoying the beautiful summer sun!

That is exactly why I am so thrilled with this challenge! Here's what I came up with...

This stamp is from Unity Stamp Company. The sentiment is from the Bliss & a Birdie kit...lovin this kit! The dsp paper is from Archivers...the brads are Gina K...and the rest is SU...

How much do I love the You Rock with the dinosaur paper! Get it...You rock! Yeah...I'm a dork!

Ok...so off to the other Stamp Simply gals to see what beautiful creations they've come up with...Julie, Dee, Becky, Tammy, Janine.

I hope you are all doing well! Thanks so much for stopping by! I am off to do???? Ok...actually at the time of posting this...BED! It's been a really long day! I need some rest! Tomorrow it's off to see Wally...the boys are so excited to see that! ...in all honesty...so am I!

Have a wonderful Friday! :)

It's Another Proud Mom Moment...and a Unity Project

Hey to you all! Last night was such a fun and crazy night!

First...my son had another baseball game. Last night he played the only team that hadn't lost a game in the tournament...which would mean that if his team won they would have to turn around and play them again for the championship game. That's a lot of baseball!

So the first game was pretty much a slam dunk....wait...that's basketball isn't it???....They stopped that one after the 4th inning due to the run rule. They took a 15 minute break and then started the final game....the championship game! This one was a close one...they won by 4 runs! My heart was pounding through my chest! I am so excited for him! He had some really good hits and it was so exciting to see!

Here's a little picture of Ev...

...so thanks for letting me share!

Now...on to another Unity project...I had so much fun at the release party last night...although I am still a little dizzy from trying to keep up with the thread! I am going to share my little house warming box I created...I used the Tiny Trinity set for this one...

Here's the box closed....


...Here's a closeup of the 'tree'...I turned it into a flower for this one....I used my liquid pearls for this....Well, I'm off to catch up a bit around here. I will post you all soon!

Have a great day!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Another Unity Newbie

Decisions, decisions, decisions! This is soooo hard! What's that you ask? Well, trying to decide what to share now! I want to show you guys one more before tonight....and I am having so much trouble! If this is your first time stopping by today...I shared my other card in the post just before this one...I've had such a hard time trying to decide what to share! Man, I will be so happy when tonight gets here and I can share them all! :)


Since there is still time for Patter's sketch challenge I am going to share with you guys what I did with the sketch....

You can find all of the deets to this fun contest here.

Ok...this time I am really off! I have a few things to do before our big game tonight! ...and the BIG party! I hope you guys get a chance to stop by! It will be great to chat and I cannot wait for you to see all the new goodies!

Have a great one! :)

Party, Party, Party!

Woohoo! How excited am I! It's Wednesday! Tonight's the night of the big Unity release party! ...and today I get to share a couple of things with you! Man...that was hard work just leaving such a sneaky peek with you yesterday! I'm so excited to share one of the cards I made with the new fantabulous set Delectible Delights...this set is the cutest!

How cute is that! Oh my goodness! I LOVE this set! I couldn't resist making the sucker all glossy with my crystal effects. Aren't all suckers glossy? Then I decided to sprinkle a little of my glitter over part of it to look a little like sugar. I did the same with the little 'gems' I made for the side. I wanted some to match the card so I made them myself...hey...it's serving the purpose.

I'm still trying to decide what to share with you next! I am going to show you one more before the big party tonight! I will post it in a bit.

I hope I see you all tonight! Here's the link to the party. It starts at 8PM central time and ends at 10. There are going to be prizes and fun and discounts!...I LOVE discounts! ....oh...and the release of 11 of the cutest kits ever!

Have a wonderful morning! I will be back in a bit with another little something to share! Be sure and check out the rest of the design team...everyone is showing a little something today! I am off to check out their beautiful work myself!

Take care! :)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Quick Share!

And by quick...I mean quick! I am so excited and wanted to share another baseball update! Evan's team won tonight! Not only did they win but they beat the only team to beat them...3 times no less!...this whole season! Now on to the next game! They will have a game tomorrow and if they win the will turn around and play another ...seems a bit extreme for 2nd graders but...you know...I'm the mom!

Anyway! Thanks for letting me share! I am off to finish another card or two for tomorrows Unity release! What a happy day!

I will post you all soon! ;)

A Sneaky Peek!

How happy am I that today is Tuesday! Woohoo! Tomorrow is the big day over at Unity. Angela is releasing 11 new stamp sets tomorrow!

Here's the nitty gritty...The party is here tomorrow June 25 from 8 - 10 PM central. There will be discounts, prizes and 11 new kit releases! How excited am I! ...and don't forget about the sketch challenge! You can find that here...make sure to load your cards before the party starts so that you will be entered in the contest!

Well today I can share one little tiny sneaky peek with you...are you ready....this is one of the cutest sets ever!

Pretty sneaky huh...I can't wait to show you the rest tomorrow...be sure and stop by the rest of the design team to see what they have to share....

Oh how excited am I for tomorrow! You are going to LOVE what you see!

Wowza...teasing is really hard for me! I just want to share it all! Is it tomorrow yet!?

Ok...I better walk away from the computer before I get into trouble! I will post you all soon! If I finish my 4th of July thingy I will post that today...maybe I will feel less guilty over teasing you guys! I thought I would be finishing that up right away this morning until my 6 year old came crashing through one of our baby gates! The good thing...he's fine! My walls and gate are not! I am off to put on my repairman hat!

Post you all soon! :)

Monday, June 23, 2008

Unity's Inspiration Challenge and A Chance To Win Stamps!

Hello to you all! Shannan hosted a fantastic inspiration challenge Friday over at SCS. You can find out all of the deets here. The inspiration piece is Unity's beatiful logo! I needed a little candy bag so I created this EPLS....
Now onto the free stuff! Patter Cross has created a super cute sketch...and the challenge is this...create anything...layout, card, tag...you name it...using this sketch and upload it to SCS using the keywords Unity and UNRS01...then you are entered in the contest! Talk about EPLS! Don't have any Unity stamps yet? No problem whatsoever! Use any stamp you like! You are still entered! Just remember that you have until June 25 at 8:00 Pm central time. That's when the party starts and the winner will be announced there!

Here's the super cute sketch....

....sorry...I saved this so small! Check out Patter's blog for a bigger picture!

I hope you all get a chance to play!

Have a fantastic day! :)

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Page Plans Sketch Time!

Hey all you sketch junkies out there! It's Sunday and around here that means it's time for another Page Plans sketch! Take a look at this weeks sketch brought to us by the ever so talented Renee Morris-Dezember...
I got out my Fun Night Out set from Unity Stamp Company for this one. Here's my take on this weeks sketch...
The little insert pulls out and looks like this....

This is actually a super simple card...but it is a new fav of mine.

Hmmm...is it ok to have favs of your own cards? Hope so! I am going to be making a few of these for our 'fat friday' get together! We do this thing...every week...it's a get together...lots of food and adult bevs...it's our own little version of fat tuesday...except it's on Fridays...and we do it weekly...and lent does not follow!

Well, that's all for me for now! Stay tuned! There is lots coming in the next few days! I cannot wait to share! :)

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Ok...I changed my mind...

Well, I thought I wasn't going to post anything tonight. Then I remembered about this awesome special over at Unity Stamps...you can get all of the deets here....for another Random Special! I actually have some of the stamps on this list and they are soooo fab! I thought I would throw together a quick little something to share....it's a 15 minute card...the coloring took a little longer! ;) Here's my card using Whimsical Birthday, one of the sets to choose from in this special...

Ok...that's officially it for me! I am off to bed! I am so tired! I look forward to catching up with all of my emails and all of your blogs and projects tomorrow! I have missed catching up with you guys! Hope you are all doing well!

Have a wonderful night! :)

Hey!

Hey all you stampers out there! I'm so sorry but tonight I have no projects to share. Insert sad face here....

We've had the craziest of crazy busy days today! Three! Yup that's right! Three baseball games! I've been back and forth to the ballpark and store for more drinks and snacks and dinner and lunch and ....well you name it! On the plus side! Although Evan's team lost the first game...it's a double elimination tourny so there's still hope! ...his second game was a winner! AND!!! I was actually able to get a shot of him hitting a double! How excited was I! Of course the first hit was a foul and he was a little worried because the ball was headed towards me! I of course did not notice as I was too busy trying to get a good picture! Awwww!

Here's a shot of him running off of home plate after his big hit!....


How exciting! Yup, proud mom alert!

Well, that's about it for me! Now you guys know why I haven't stamped all day! Yesterday was much of the same. I have a few things sitting on my desk that I cannot wait to share! They will have to keep a bit though.

Thanks for indulging this proud mom! I am off to tuck my little slugger in!

Have a great night! :)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Do You Like It Hot!

Yay! It's Stamp Simply Time!...a Some Like It Hot challenge! ...or cold! What a fun challenge Sharon has for us this week! For this challenge we need to keep a theme around liquid. This can be a cup of coffee....woohooo, I get to use my new Coffee and Friends set...or a bath, rain...anything!

My card is truly a 10 minute card and I get to use my Coffee and Friends set! What a win, win! I went with some super sunny colors...for some reason I really needed that today! That could be because of the depressing movie I was watching while stamping this! Whatever the reason...I produced this super bright! card!


Be sure and check out the rest of the stamp simply team. I get so inspired by each and every one! Julie, Becky, Dee, Tammy, Janine.

Hope you are all doing well and having a sunny day/night! ...it's possible!

Take care and I will post you soon!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

It's Time For Another Page Plans Card

Wednesday means time for another Page Plans card! My second card uses Papertrey's Bitty Baby Blessings stamp set and paper....both fav's of mine....

Here's my card...


What a fun sketch! I've had so much fun checking out your creations with these sketches! You guys have done such an amazing job!

I'm off! Our dishwasher went caput! The new one is on the way. Woohooo! I will post you all soon! :)

Inspiration Tuesday

I'm so excited for another Be Inspired Challenge from Beate! I couldn't wait to play with this inspiration piece. Take a look at this....

Oh my GOODNESS! How pretty...and yummy...does this look! Oh to be Martha! ;) I will share with you guys that this cake inspired me to hit my favorite bakery for some yummy cupcakes. I figured they would help to get my creative juices flowing! ...they definitely tasted delish!

Here's what I came up with for this challenge (BIC18)...

Blue and red! This is such a favorite color combo of mine! I LOVE them together! Be sure and check out the rest of Beate's team...Charmaine, Danielle, Dawn, Silke, and Susan. I can't wait to see what you guys do with this piece!

Hope you all have a wonderful day! Post you soon!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Shhhh....Don't Tell Christi....

Well, so I'm feeling all sneaky last night. It's time for a new sketch from Unity courtesy of the ever so talented Christi Snow. But wait....these are scrapbook layouts! Aaaahhhhh....what's a card maker to do?????

Ok...yeah, I scrapbook. Really, I DO! Of course, I pretty much go kicking and screaming to a scrapbook page...why? Because I have to have my pictures develped! My poor pitiful pictures are sitting on disks...I at least back them up!....just waiting to be developed! Yeah, I could print them on the printer...they never look as good that way.

So, last night I'm feeling really sneaky...I'm thinking I'll just use this fantastic sketch on a card! Hey, why not? What's the harm????? Heehheee...

Here's the sketch....

You know I think this would really make a great scrapbook page! ;) Of course since I don't have a picture to work with here's what I came up with....

Now, here's where karma kicks in....this card really needs some stitching!!! Notice there is none! Yup, my sewing machine decided to call it quits during the making of this card! Blast! I'm soooo sorry Christi! Really! I promise to do a page next sketch! Honest! ***sniff, sniff....poor old sewing machine!

On the plus side that little Janome mini that I keep hearing everyone talk about is on sale over at Hancock! wooooohoooo! Maybe it's not such a bad thing after all!

I hope you all get a chance to play with this sketch...and really, I don't think Christi will mind if you make a card! She's super sweet! If you guys get a chance to play along be sure and load it up somewhere so that we can all see your beautiful work! At SCS you can use the keyword Unity or USS04.

Here's another sneaky thing about this...it also fits in with a challenge that Heidi has over at SCS found here. I think I would rather think of this as productive. Yeah, that's it! Be sure and check out the deets for that one. There is a give-away but you have to link your card by June 30.

Have a wonderful day! We are off for our first official 'Monday Funday'! We missed last week since we were all still not feeling well. What to do today! I have NO STINKIN IDEA!

Thanks for the fantastic sketch Christi and the fun challenge Heidi! I will post you all soon!

It's Page Plans Sunday!

Happy Sunday...and Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there...I'm sure there are sooo many that will be reading this blog! ;) ...my Dad might....never know...

Anyway, it's time for another fantabulous sketch from Page Plans. This weeks sketch comes to you straight from the ever so talented and sweet Lesli Asay...here's the sketch...

How much fun is this sketch! Is it getting your creative juices flowing!? I really had a lot of fun with this one. My first card this week is somewhat monochromatic...except for the butterfly. I used my Beautiful Butterfly stamp set from Unity...here's my card....


I really love those butterflies! ...and I love the 'bam' factor from the sentiments in this set. I hope you all get a chance to participate in this weeks sketch challenge. Be sure and link your card over at Page Plans so that you can be entered in the weekly drawing. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Hope you are all having a great day! I will post you soon! :)

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Happy Father's Day!

Hello to you all! I wanted to share the Father's day card we are giving to my dh. It's an EPLS but I really love this card. I actually created this a while back. Here's the card...

That's it for me. I am off... One quick update...Evan's team won tonight! Woohoo! He's so excited! ...and so am I! This has been a super fun season! I really love seeing him get so excited about baseball! I love baseball! :)

I hope you are all having a fun Saturday night! I can't wait to share tomorrows Page Plans sketch! It's another really fun sketch! I will post you all then!

Take care! :)

A Couple of Quick Shout-Outs...

Hey! I wanted to post quickly a couple of things before I am off to the ballpark...

There is a design team call over at Page Plans for guest designers for the month of July. They are looking for two guest designers for that month. Head on over here to check it out and a super cute Father's day gift by the ever so talented Mariska!

Unity is having a sale! You can find out more about that one here. Yes, I am ever the enabler!

There is also a contest you can find here. Enter your card or project by the 30th of June and be entered to win a little something!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday! I will be back this afternoon with something...depending on what stamp is calling my name! ;) Yes...they speak to me! ;)

Have a wonderful Saturday! :)

Friday, June 13, 2008

Unity's Inspiration Challenge

Happy Friday! Woohoo! ...you know, it's a little bit funny to be so excited about Friday now that it's summer! Everyday is Friday! :)

Unity has a great inspiration challenge this week. Here's the inspiration piece....


Well, you know I love a good challenge! I couldn't wait to play with this one! I pulled out one of the sentiment stamps I purchased from Unity...soooo many to choose from! and I created this quick little number....

This is truly an EPLS...created in all of about 10 minutes! You gotta love that! I used my Basic Grey paper...and the stamp is called Blossom. I just picked up some more gems while doing a little shopping at Tar-get today. If the scrapbook section gets any bigger I am in serious trouble!

I hope you all get a chance to play with this piece. If you do, be sure and upload at SCS with the keywords UIC04 or Unity. I would love to see what you all come up with!

Hope you have a wonderful Friday and I will post you all soon! :)

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Let's Go Bold!

Well, it's time for another Stamp Simply challenge (ssnotime39). Sharon has another fun one for us this week! This week we GO BOLD! By that use a bolder color than you would normally use. Ok...for me I went bold in two directions....color...and a nice bold cup of coffee! :) Yeah, you know I couldn't resist!

I pulled out my really rust card stock and went with that. I've been on such a pastel and white kick lately...this is huge for me! Then I used the biggest, boldest, coffee cup in Sharon's new stamp set and used it as well.

Here's what I came up with....

So what do you think? Bold enough? My sister will be happy....I turned the flash back on. Thanks for being patient with me while I played around with different settings. I am still determined to figure out a great place to photograph my cards minus the flash...just hasn't really happened yet.

Anyway, be sure and check out the rest of Sharon's team...Julie, Dee, Becky, Tammy, and Janine.

I'm off...hope you are all doing well! I look forward to posting you all soon! :)

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

A Super Big Congrats To The Fab Sharon!

Wowza! Today is the big day! You've seen the sneaks...all this teasing!...leading up to today! I cannot say just how excited I am for Sharon! Today is the big reveal of her new line of stamps over at Flourishes! Her very own Stamp Simply line! Woohooo!

Congratulations, Sharon! :)

Well, I just happen to be fortunate enough to have my hot little hands on my very own set of her very first release! :) (Thanks Sharon!...she's sweet and generous to boot!) Well you know I couldn't wait to ink it up! Here's my first card using this b-EA-U-tiful set....

Oh how much I LOVE this set! I decided to do my own little '10 Minute' card. I stamped one of the sentiments and then decided to add the plain coffee cup to it. Then I added the little 'flourishy' smoke to the top of the cup and then I noticed the little 'Flourish' logo stamp....you know the little one that comes with the acrylic stamps. Well I decided to mask the copyright info and use it to make my cup a bit more decorative.

I'm sure I will post more with this set...maybe even today! For sure tomorrow. I am sooo using this for Sharon's challenge tomorrow! K...not this card! It doesn't fit...don't want to give anything away! But I think I know just what I am going to do! This set is perfect!

I'm off to the dentist...I will post you all soon!

Congrats again, Sharon! I am so excited for you and all that is to come! :)

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

It's Inspiration Tuesday!

Yay for Beate! She has another super fun inspiration challenge (BIC17) for us today! It's so simple and yet so ...inspiring... yeah, I know...really creative wording! ;) Here's the piece for today....
I love this! I used one of my new Unity Stamps for this one (Flirty Flowers)...you know how I am with new stamps...I gotta use the heck out of 'em! ;) Here's my take on the challenge....

I went with a black background and white front and then added some black stitching. I decided to throw in a splash of yellow...but then I saw my Summer Sunrise ribbon from Papertrey and decided a bit of orange would be better!

And that's it! Be sure and check out the rest of Beate's team...Charmaine, Danielle, Dawn, Silke, and Susan...for some more eye candy!

Hope you are all doing well and that you have a wonderful Tuesday! Ours is a wet one and it's round two of the stomach thing...for Carter anyway! Will this ever end! ;) What a way to start the summer! :)

Monday, June 9, 2008

A Little Album

Hello! It's Monday! ...and a really hot and sticky one here! This is really unusual for this area. I almost feel like I am back in Texas!

I thought I would share a little something with you guys. This is the journal I made for my sons kindergarten teacher. I used a retired stamp set from SU called Crayon Kids. I thought it would be perfect to make a blackboard and stamp the little kids on it.
Thanks for looking. This is a quick one. I need to try and catch up around here. I am so far behind from this past week. I hope you are all doing well and having a wonderful day! :)

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Sunday Sketch Day!

...brought to you from the fabulous team over at Page Plans! I really love this weeks sketches! Here's this weeks card sketch from the oh so talented Chris Ross....

I LOVE this sketch! These types of sketches really make me stretch as a stamper. I tend to not have much going on when I design. I really like that there are lots of areas of interest here. So much fun!

The only downside for this card for me...I was sick at the time of making it! We've had such a rough week! ***insert violins here**** ;)

Here's my card for this week....


How fun! The paper and flowers are Primas. Our Michaels just started carrying the stuff. So excited! I don't usually use this color but I think I like it.

Anyway, I hope you all get a chance to play with this sketch. Don't forget to get your cards loaded by Saturday so that you can be entered in the drawing! I can't wait to see what y'all come up with!

Supplies:

1.) Piece of Cake stamp set from Papertrey Ink.
2.) chocolate chip card stock SU
3.) whisper white card stock SU
4.) Prima patterned paper
5.) Prima flowers
6.) chocolate chip ribbon SU
7.) gems
8.) smooth & scallop circle Nestibilities

Happy Sunday!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Queen Box Dimensions

Hello to you all! I hope you are all doing well and having a wonderful weekend! Ours has been a rough one. We've had this stomach bug that has passed it's way all through our house. Unfortunately for me, I got it also. It's really hard to take care of yourself and your kids all while your hubby is away. Luckily he made it home last night so I am no longer on doing the whole thing on my own. ...and fortunately I am starting to join the land of the living again!


That said...how great is your imagination? I didn't have a chance...wasn't feeling up to movement actually!...to make it to Michaels for another sheet of matboard to finish off my tutorial. Well, I could just leave the dimensions. I'm guessing you could probably get it with just that but for some reason it's confusing to me so how about we pretend! By that I mean for the first part of the tutorial pretend that my printer paper is actually matboard and the lines are drawn to scale...and straight...and the pictures are taken on a clean desk.... ;)


Here we go....hopefully I will make it to Michaels to replace this with the real deal but for now....

1.) The measurements for the 'long' side of the box...this is the side with the top are 25". You will measure 6" across and then create a double line of 25".
2.) From either end, measure and draw a line at the 1" mark.

3.) From the end of this mark (#2) draw a line at the 6 " mark. Repeat this two more times...this will leave you with 1 - 1" box and 4 - 6" boxes. The box with the 1" box will then become the 'top' of your box.

4.) Working with the top of the box, measure a 1" box on either side of the 6" box just below the 1" box.

5.) Skip the next 6" box and go to the next...this will be the third 6" box from the 1" box....measure out 6" from both sides of this box on both sides. This will create the sides of the box.

6.) Cut along the outer lines only...all inner lines are used for score marks. Once you have cut the outside you can score the inner lines. I used a hobby blade for this. Mine is pretty dull so yours may give you what you want from the first cut. It took two for mine.

***and suddenly...it's to scale...and on matboard....hmmmm.... :)

7.) Once you've cut and scored all lines you need to tape the sides together with red sticky tape. Now your box is ready to decorate!

****Tippy cup of milk is optional ... :)


***If you are going to make holes in the top like I did...remember to make them before you tape the sides of the top as it's easier with a crop-a-dile. I used my silent setter once the whole box was embellished...it just took a bit longer.


Here's my final project which I was really surprised and quite flattered to see over at Card of the Week. Thanks for the shout out! That's so sweet! ;)


Please let me know if you have any questions and if you decide to give this a try I would love to see your finished project! Link it or drop me a line so I can check yours out!

***A couple of quick notes...I'm so sorry for all of my stamping friends across the 'pond'...I forget sometimes that you all aren't just right next door! I used matboard for this. That's the same stuff here that they use to 'mat' a picture with. Probably any hobby store or framing store would have that there. Lots of times you can find sheets that are marked down since maybe they were leftovers or cut wrong. I try and stock up when I find this. It's kind of the same as chipboard except that I haven't found a place that will sell me 'sheets' of chipboard. The total length of the matboard I purchased is 25X18. hth :)

I think I have decided to shrink this project. I think it would also be lots of fun to make little goody boxes for thankyous I might need...you can never have to many thank you ...uh...stuff...you know, cards, bags, boxes...whatever.

I hope you are all having a great evening! I am going to see if I can get back in the swing of things. I still just think I want to crawl in bed!...which is so hard because I just got some new toys I really want to play with!



Have a fabulous night! I will post you soon! :)

Friday, June 6, 2008

It's Time To Stamp Simply

Hello to you all! It's time for another fun Stamp Simply Challenge from Sharon! I am so excited about this weeks challenge. For this one we just need to use a silhouette stamp. Sharon is so awesome! If you don't have one she had the great idea of just coloring in an image....and you can use any color as long as it's all one color.


Well, since I just used my She's All That stamp I thought I would opt for the coloring in route to achieving a silhouette. I used one of the butterflies from one of Unity sets....Butterfly Beauty. I really love this butterfly!


Here's my card...

I really love the shape of this little guy! I also really like the effect of coloring the whole thing in with the black.

Be sure and check out the rest of Sharon's team. I am always inspired by these gals! Julie, Dee, Becky, Tammy, and Janine.

I posted earlier that I would be back with a tutorial on Saturday. It is my goal to stick to that plan. At the time of posting this I am falling victim to the stomache bug my oldest has had...thus the old standby layout with this card. I apologize if it turns out to be a bit later.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are all doing well! :)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

I'm Feeling Like Royalty!

Oh my heck! I am speechless! ...and you know that's an unusual event for me! I got this very special email from the ever so sweet Angela Magnuson from over at Unity Stamp Company announcing that I was selected as one of her new designers!

OHMYGOODNESS!

...get's even better. I will actually get to meet all of the fantabulous gals at CHA! How completely cool is that!

OHMYGOODNESS!

Ok...where do I even begin!

First, there's not one, not two, not five new designers...there's 8 new designers! Lauren Meader, Ana Wohlfahrt, Amber Hight, Heather, Patter Cross, Maren, and Natalie.

OHMY....ok, I won't put you through that again... ;) Talk about excited! The original design team is filled with such amazing talent. That in and of itself is such an honor but then to be chosen with these amazing 8 women is ...ok...it leaves me speechless!

I am completely overwhelmed....and so very excited to be part of such a fantastic company. I have been a huge fan ever since I saw 'the' butterfly. I wrote it like that because it is such a stunning image...and of course...Beate rocked it out! ;)

...the title of this post...Well, talk about feeling like royalty! Getting the privilage to work with such a creative bunch with such wonderful stamps and such a generous little travel bonus! I truly do feel like a queen!

...which brings me to one of the projects I made to share with all of you.....

...hey...if you feel like royalty...you should 'Act like royalty'....***she said...right before she went to change the stinky diaper! Oh yeah, I'm royalty allright! :)

I decided to create a frame and then I stamped the background image that came with my Queen For A Day set. I added all sorts of bling to that! Then I stamped the sentiment 'Act like Royalty', used my ticket punch and layered it on my sweet blush card stock....of course more bling in the corners. I used this amazing pink satin ribbon and then thought I should add a bit more bling to the corners of the 'frame'. I love this set! I love how ginormous that background stamp is! LOVE it! ******...and I promise the tutorial for the Queen box will be up on Saturday...sorry...I didn't take pictures of the first part and it's just tooooo confusing without having a visual.

So on to another project...a little quickie....a set of notecards. I can always use a set of blank notecards! I used the leaves from Giggle Grove for this one. Here's it is....

Of course, I have to show a shot of the envelopes.....

I colored my leaves with my copic markers. I used YR23, YR04, & YG95. After I stamped my images in SU classic Basic Black, I outlined the outer part of the leaves with YG95 then I outlined the inner stems with YR04. Here's a picture of what it looked like...
Next I colored in circles the entire leaf with YR23. I colored and blended on top of the existing color. Shown here....

The top left shows where I started. Just keep blending until you have blended all of the 'rough' edges. Voila!

I will share a few things that I have learned from playing with my copic markers. Never use an alcohol base ink! Ok...that's probably a no brainer but I tried it! Obviously it doesn't work...it just bleeds everywhere! SU's basic black works great for me. I know there are lots of different inks that work but that's what I have on hand.

Thanks so much, Angela! I am so excited and honored to be part of the group!

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share! I will be back to post you again soon! I hope your day is wonderful and that you feel like royalty today as well...minus a sick child and a bunch of stinky diapers!!! :)