A Merry Vintage Christmas

Good morning everyone! I hope that your week has gotten off to a great start! I can't believe that this is the last day of August! Fall is coming but we do have to have some more hot weather before it actually does. Bummer. At least it is really nice in the mornings. I can open the doors and windows and let the breeze flow through the house. And I seem to sleep better at night when the air is cooler. Not too much going on for me. I get to do all the cool stay-at-home mom things! Making breakfast, studying spelling words casually (instead of frantically in the car), getting the planner signed and helping him get organized. I think it actually helps make his day a little better as well. And he is loving it! And that's all that really matters!

Today's card is from a sketch at PaperCraft Planet - I think. I made it last week but I do think that is where i got it from. I altered it a bit but I do like the way it turned out. I can't believe how many Christmas cards I am making! Maybe I will actually get mine made and mailed out this year!! That would be nice!! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Bells & Boughs; Paper- Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Shimmery white, Deck the Halls designer paper; Ink- Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede, Basic Black; Accessories- Chantilly crochet trim, antique brad, aqua painter, sponge, 2 1/2" circle punch, dimensionals

Spooky Bat Punch

Good morning everyone! It feels so good to be home once again! And I think that we will be home for a little while. We left early Saturday morning and had our first game. We lost 2-1. It was so sad because we really dominated most of the game and should have won. Then we played Sunday morning in another town and lost that one 2-1 as well. That one was a little tougher as the boys played on a turf field. That is something they are not used to and it was a little harder to control the ball and make accurate passes. The ball also did a LOT of bouncing! But it was fun. Sunday evening, after we got home, we didn't have a lot of time to relax because Nick had baseball practice. It's nothing really serious at this time. The practice is more to keep the boys ready to play again. And I know he had fun doing that! But this morning it was really tough waking him up for school. Once he was up he was ready to go! And I made pancakes for him. Now what could be better?

Today's card is one of my favorites! I got this sketch from Stampin' Addicts. It is last week's sketch (I think). I am really liking the color blocking! Anyway, I thought this was a fun Halloween card! And it is really fun to do! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Wicked Cool; Paper- Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Basic Black, Wicked Fun designer paper; Ink- Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black; Accessories- Raven lace trim, glimmer brad, bat punch, dimensionals

Cute Christmas

Good Sunday morning everyone! Can you believe that August is pretty much over? This summer really flew by for us. And it feels like fall is on its way. We will be driving back from Denver later today so I will be "live" again tomorrow. I will let you know tomorrow how the boys did.

Today's card was inspired from a sketch that I got from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge. I am sorry that I don't have the link for you but my Internet has decided to be so frustratingly slow. UGH!!! So maybe I can get that to you all another time. Anyway, it was a great sketch and I pulled out my new Christmas set and designer paper. It's another simple card and I really like the way it turned out. So thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- A Cute Christmas; Paper- Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Candy Cane Christmas designer paper; Ink- Basic Black, Real Red, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Blushing Bride; Accessories- Real Red satin ribbon, 2 1/2" circle punch, sponge, dimensionals

Stampin' Connection Sketch

Good morning, Friends! I am pre-posting this as we will be leaving very early for Denver and I didn't know how much time I would have. So wish the boys luck as they start their regular season this weekend! They are looking pretty good so it should be some good games!

Today's card is one that I made for the sketch challenge on Stampin' Connection. I changed it up a bit to make it work for me. Remember that if you want to be a part of Stampin' Connection, you have to become a demonstrator. And I can help you with that :) Anyway, it was a great sketch. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Bells & Boughs; Paper- Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Shimmery white, Deck the Halls designer paper; Ink- Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake; Accessories- aqua painter, basic rhinestones, sponge, dimensionals

Blushing Snowflakes

Good morning, Friends! It's Friday! This week has sure gone by fast! And I don't feel like I accomplished that much. What's up with that? I did manage to make a few cards yesterday so that was good. I had been feeling like my mojo was leaving and I needed to get it back fast! Last night was my hubby's birthday. And we got a special dinner made by our wonderful friend, Becky! Chicken and noodles!! YUM!! Then she throws in her made from scratch chocolate cake AND graham cracker ice cream! I was so FULL by the time we got home last night! It was so fun to eat a wonderful meal and then get to visit with her and her son and his very lovely girlfriend! I hope it was a good birthday for him. Other than that we didn't do anything else. Tomorrow morning we leave for Denver at the butt crack of dawn for a soccer game. And Nick also has a game Sunday morning in Denver. So we will be spending the night up there again. But then we have several home games in a row before we travel again. We just found out last night that the coach signed the team up for a tournament in Vail in October. Sounds like fun!!

Today's card is one I made for the Stampin' Addicts sketch challenge. It is a super simple sketch and very versatile. And this card is super simple as well (even though it took me a while to get it together). Not much to say about it. So thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Four the Holidays; Paper- Blushing Bride, Real Red, Baja Breeze, Whisper White; Ink- Real Red; Accessories- snowflake punch, Candy Cane Christmas big designer buttons, perfect polka dots embossing folder, linen thread, dimensionals

CCMC 113

Hello everyone! It's Thursday and that means another challenge at Create with Connie and Mary! Today's inspiration is this really fun cake! Yum!! I think that I am a little ADD because there is a whole lot going on here and It was hard not to want to put it all on my card. So I had to make myself focus. For this inspiration I chose to focus on the stars and the wonderful bright colors.

So here is what I came up with...

I can't remember if I used a specific sketch or layout but I thought it turned out really fun. Just like the cake! This layout is really simple. For the crimped cardstock, I just cut thin pieces of various lengths and ran them through the crimper. Gluing them on was a challenge and I used a lot of glue dots! Unlike the cake, this card is not age specific and could be used for anyone!

Be sure to stop by Create with Connie and Mary to see the inspiration from the other design team members. You won't be disappointed! And then get to creating! I would love to see what you do! Enjoy your day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Seeing Stars, Fundamental Phrases; Paper- Whisper White, Real Red, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight; Ink- Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, Real Red; Accessories- Real Red brad, large star punch, crimper, dimensionals

Going Batty!

Good morning everyone! It has been a busy morning! I had to take Nick to the doctor first thing this morning. And where we live it is driving 20 minutes to the doctor. Spending at least an hour there, then I drove 30 minutes back to take him to school. But he really only missed about 30 minutes of school! That was nice. So he is pretty healthy! The doctor did hear some wheezing in his lungs so she put him back on his inhaler meds for two weeks. It's that time of year when the farmers are burning their fields and all that smoke and stuff gets in the air. I know that my sinuses are feeling it, too! She also gave him some other allergy meds to try. Other than that it was a clean bill of health! He does have to go back in a month to check the lungs. It is really hard to tell when he needs to use his inhaler because he seems so darn healthy! He runs and is so active that you wouldn't think there was anything wrong. But I have noticed a small cough and I do think it is because of the burning.

Today's card was inspired by the layout at Clean & Simple. Super easy! And super versatile! I decided to use the Wicked Fun designer paper. The 12 x 12 piece had these flocked bats down one side and in the corner. So I cut out just that part. These bats feel fuzzy. Too fun! Then I used some of the new Raven lace trim with a silver glimmer brad. I stamped the "spooky" stamp onto Rich Razzleberry and punched it out with the bat punch. It's not a perfect fit but I think you can still read what it says. That's it! Thanks for stopping by! Tomorrow is another challenge at Create with Connie and Mary. Enjoy your day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Wicked Cool; Paper- Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Wicked Fun designer paper; Ink- Basic Black; Accessories- Raven lace trim, glimmer brads, bat punch, dimensionals

Enjoy Your Day!

Good morning everyone! I hope that your week is off to a great start! Nick came home from school yesterday and was feeling great! He said that his first day at this school was way better than his first day last year. I will not get into it, but he did not have a very good year last year. So we are so thankful! He still does not like getting up early (as was clearly evident this morning) but he was eager to get to the bus stop (which, by the way, is at the end of our long driveway). He probably won't like the learning part of school but he will definitely have a great year!

Today's card was inspired by Julie Pitta. She was the featured stamper at the Stampin' Up! connection website. She has a fabulous gallery there so if you are a demonstrator be sure to check her out! She also has a super great blog with video tutorials. So if you aren't a demonstrator, you can still check out her great work! I couldn't find the card that inspired this one but I'm sure it's there. I just didn't go back far enough. Julie used the two step bird punch instead of the owl. And I also remember hers having the felt flowers. I decided to make mine a little more masculine. My hubby's birthday is Thursday and I thought that this would be a good card for him. I just love this little owl! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- On Your Birthday; Paper- Early Espresso, Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Woodland Cottage designer paper; Ink- Early Espresso, Crumb Cake; Accessories- Owl punch, Two-Step Bird punch, Decorative Label punch, sponge, dimensionals

Wickedly Cool

Good Monday morning, Friends! It is the FIRST day of school here and I have just sent my son down the driveway to catch the bus to school. This year he went from a private school (where I used to teach) to a public school and riding the bus. So we debated about me driving him to school and all but then I decided he just needed to get into it by riding the bus. Well, he gets down to the end of the driveway where he meets up with the neighbor kids (her son is in Nick's class) and she is going to be driving the kids to school. So they ask Nick if he would like to ride with them! Ha! The joke is on me. I could have driven him but I said no, ride the bus. Oh well. At least he will be with a friend from the start and won't be too nervous. I think I am the one more nervous! I can't wait to hear about his day!

So we got back from Colorado Springs yesterday evening. We had a soccer tournament. And boy was it FUN! I am not sure what all age groups were there but there were 24 fields!!! It was HUGE! They played at the Air Force Academy. It was so beautiful there! Nick wanted to take a tour of the place. We might have to do that someday... Anyway, the boys did pretty good for their first official tournament! They lost their first game 3-2, won their second game 4-1 and then lost their third game 4-2. This next weekend we will be in Denver to kick off our regular season.

So today's card is from a layout at CPS. I really like this sketch and plan to use it more often! And there are some really great samples made with this sketch on their blog. Be sure to check it out. And this is my favorite Halloween set! Very easy and fun! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Wicked Cool; Paper- Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Whisper White; Ink- Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black; Accessories- black flourish designer jewels, dimensionals

Christmas Stockings

Good Sunday morning, Friends! Again, I am pre-posting this as I am out of town for the weekend. Tomorrow I will have results of how the boys did at their first soccer tournament!

Today's card is one that I copied from the new Holiday mini catalog. This card is taken from page 11. I really liked the layout and wanted to try the circles behind the image thing like they did. I think I got it? Anyway, it did take me a while to get the spacing right. I changed the colors and the stamp set (still can't get into the Paisley Prints). Don't look too close but I had to cut a strip of paper for my greeting. I stamped directly onto the card but messed up badly, so I got cut a strip and got out my stamp-a-ma-jig to help me. And it worked great! I did stamp the stockings on the circle and on scrap paper. I colored them on the scrap paper and cut them out and glued them flat onto the circle. I also used a big button from the Holiday mini catalog. Those are just too much fun! Enjoy your day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- A Cute Christmas, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper- Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Real Red, Candy Cane Christmas designer paper; Ink- Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Real Red; Accessories- Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Candy Cane big designer buttons, scallop edge punch, 2 1/2" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, dimensionals

Wicked Halloween

Good morning, Friends! I hope your weekend is off to a great start! I am pre-posting this so I won't have a lot to say (try not to sound too excited :)). We are in Colorado Springs at a soccer tournament so look for results on Monday when I get back and send my son off to school!

Today's card is one that I wasn't sure I liked until it sat on my desk for a couple of days. Now I am in love with it! I LOVE this set!! It makes the most fun Halloween cards ever! I used this sketch at iheart2stamp. I did stamp the feet in Cajun Craze but I wanted black boots. So I stamped the feet image again on scrap paper and cut them out. Why didn't I just color the boots black and the socks Cajun Craze with my markers? Well, I tried that and found out that my Basic Black marker was all dried up! Yikes! So that goes on my next order!! And I kind of liked them cut out. Gives them a little dimension. I did not pop them up just glued them down flat. The hat is cut out and popped up. I am not sure if you can tell from the photo or not, but I used the new spider web embossing folder from the new Holiday mini catalog on the main card. Love that embossing folder!! Hmmm... It must have been a cloudy day when I took this picture because you can't really see the new glimmer brad that I used on the new black lace. So maybe you all won't like the card as much as I do! Lol!! Trust me, it's cool! Wicked Cool!! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Wicked Cool; Paper- Basic Black, Cajun Craze, Whisper White, Wicked Fun designer paper; Ink- Basic Black, Cajun Craze, Sahara Sand; Accessories- Raven lace trim, black glimmer brad, 2 1/2" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Spider Web embossing folder, dimensionals

Hi There!

Good morning everyone! It's Friday! Last night we went to the back to school night at Loma elementary and met Nick's new teacher and got to look around the school. I am so excited for Nick and Nick is excited, too, but just not about the whole studying, learning, etc. He likes school just to see his buddies. I think he is going to be fine. He already knows a lot of kids in his class just from various sports that he has been involved in. And speaking of sports, we are leaving this afternoon to travel to Colorado Springs for a soccer tournament. This is the first tournament (of many) that this new team with a new coach has played and I am anxious to see how they all do. What will be hard is that we won't get back until Sunday evening and then he has to be ready for school on Monday. And we don't know how late it will be on Sunday. I am hoping to get my posts done for Saturday and Sunday but if I don't you will know why.

Today's card is one that I made for the Card Scraps online community. I didn't put a direct link to the sketch because I don't know if you have to sign up for the site or not to be able to see it. But this is for their August sketch challenge. And they are giving away some blog candy which happens to be a stamp set! I just got this cute little owl punch the other day and had to give him a try. I had a lot of fun putting him together but those little pieces are really hard to glue on! Maybe my fingers are too fat. I don't know. But I did get him glued together. I also used the new seam binding from the Holiday mini catalog. That is really cool stuff! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Fundamental Phrases; Paper- Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Rose Red, Woodland Cottage designer paper; Ink- Early Espresso, Crumb Cake; Accessories- Very Vanilla seam binding, owl punch, bird punch, 2 1/2" circle punch, scallop edge punch, sponge, dimensionals

CCMC 112

Good morning, Friends! Today is Thursday and that means another challenge at Create with Connie and Mary! Today's challenge is a color challenge. The colors to use for this challenge are Pacific Point, Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi and Basic Black. I have to be honest. Anything with Pacific Point really scares me. Not because it is a bad color. It is just so bold and bright and I am not sure how to use it properly. So I decided to use it VERY sparingly!! And you may think that I cheated a little on this card. But I did use ALL the colors for this card and I really like the way it turned out! It is hard to use that many colors on a card at the same time because they might fight for attention. But I think that I got it right on this one.

For this card I used the same technique that we did at convention with this same set. I took my Bashful Blue and colored the flowers on the stamp. Then I took my Pacific Point markers and just scribbled a little on top of the Bashful Blue. Then I colored the leaves and stems with the Daffodil Delight marker and went over the top of that with my Wild Wasabi marker (just a hit a miss motion). Then I took a spray bottle of water and just misted the stamp and stamped it onto watercolor paper. I accented with a little Basic Black paper and button. And there you have it! All five colors!! So don't forget to stop by Create with Connie and Mary and see the other design team submissions to give you even more inspiration. Then come up with your own and post it! I look forward to see how everyone else uses these great colors!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Just Believe; Paper- Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Watercolor paper, Whisper White; Ink- Pacific Point, Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Basic Black; Accessories- Daffodil Delight narrow taffeta ribbon, neutrals buttons, dimensionals

Grateful Leaves

Good morning, Friends! I am happy to report that my sinus headache is no more! I didn't end up taking anything yesterday. I just hate to because it makes me feel so groggy so I was glad when it didn't flare up. And I was even happier when I could sit down and stamp!

I started with this card. I used the layout from Clean & Simple. I am so excited to use this layout for many more cards. It really is versatile with so many possibilities! I am trying to stay away from Christmas for a little while but we will see... I have so many cute and pretty Christmas sets that I am really loving! I did make quite a few Halloween cards. I love my new Halloween set. So I can't wait to show you all those. But tomorrow is another challenge so be sure to check that out! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Autumn Splendor, Grateful Greetings; Paper- Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Old Olive; Ink- More Mustard, Old Olive, Cajun Craze; Accessories- Early Espresso narrow taffeta ribbon, sponge, dimensionals

Peace On Earth

Good morning, Friends! I hope you all had a great Monday! It seems that my headache came back yesterday and turned into a full grown sinus headache. Yuck! I still seem to have it this morning but I am taking something so hopefully I will nip this one quickly! So that meant no stamping for me yesterday which is a bummer. So today I am hoping that I can get something done. I hope that I can sit here and get creative! Haven't been feeling "it" lately. I need to change that...

Today's card is another that I shared with my team this past weekend. I used the Holiday Windows movers and shapers dies for this card. I cut the bird out of the Deck the Halls designer fabric. Then I used the new level 2 hostess set from the Holiday mini catalog, Peaceful Season, and also the new decorative label punch to create this card. I really like the way this one turned out. I also heard that this kraft color is going to be the "in" thing for Christmas this year. I like that as Crumb Cake is one of my very favorite colors! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Peaceful Season; Paper- Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler; Ink- VersaMark, Early Espresso, Always Artichoke; Accessories- Deck the Halls designer fabric, decorative label punch, Holiday movers and shapers dies, Big Shot, itty bitty punch pack, basic pearls, sponge, dimensionals

Winter Mittens

Good morning everyone! Are you ready for another week? Ready or not, here it comes! It still is so hard for me to realize that this is the last week of summer! I keep reminding Nick that school will be starting next Monday!! Yikes! I think it is because I am not getting ready for school. And I really like that!! But it is kind of weird, too. Hopefully, I will find a part-time job and be able to bring in some money so I can keep buying stamps through the winter!! LOL! My husband's job is seasonal so when it stops so does the spending!! We try to budget accordingly but it never seems to come out right.

Today's card is another Christmas/Winter card. No, I didn't get around to making any cards yesterday. I felt horrible! My headache was there ALL day long and it was SO annoying!! I did go to bed early and this morning I feel so much better! So, I really hope to sit down and get creative! But this card was one I shared at my team meeting this last weekend. Another very simple card to show an idea using fabric on your cards. It looks like a bow but I just used glue dots to fold the fabric in place and then a glimmer brad in the middle. The stamp set, fabric, and glimmer brads will be items you can purchase from the new Holiday mini catalog. You will love it! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- A Cute Christmas; Paper- Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi; Ink- Blushing Bride, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Baja Breeze, Basic Black; Accessories- Glimmer Basics glimmer brads, Candy Cane Christmas designer fabric, dimensionals

Designer Fabric

Good Sunday morning, Friends! It felt so good to sleep in this morning! I had a headache before I went to bed last night and I still seem to have it this morning. I really hope I can get rid of it soon! I think that I spent too much time in the sun yesterday. Nick had his 3 v 3 soccer tournament yesterday. That was really fun! Their little team did pretty good but somehow got seeded lower than they should have and ended up placing third. They only lost one game and a team that they beat by six goals got seeded higher. How does that work? Don't know but it was all for fun anyway. And he did have a great time. Now to get ready for next weekend when we travel! And this is the last week of summer as school starts next Monday!

Today's card is one that I made for our team meeting. I was showing some fabric ideas and came up with some cards. Of course you can use paper too, but sometimes the fabric is nice because it gives you more texture. Anyway, I used the Tasteful Trim die to cut out the zig zag pattern. This is a super simple card and was made just to show off the fabric. But I kind of liked it, too. I also got to use my new Norther Frost decorative strip die. Love the snowflakes on that! Then I added some rhinestones to the middle of each one. Have a great day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Four the Holidays; Paper- Whisper White, Baja Breeze; Ink- Baja Breeze; Accessories- Norther Frost decorative strip die, Tasteful Trim die, Candy Cane Christmas designer fabric, basic rhinestones, Big Shot, dimensionals

Blushing Bride Christmas

Good morning, Friends! I hope you are all having a great weekend! We will be leaving shortly because Nick is in a 3 v 3 soccer tournament. It should be really fun. They play 10 minute halves and there is no goalie. The fields are going to be shorter, too. Anyway, I need to make sure he is dressed and ready to go.

So, yesterday I posted this same cute little girl but in different colors. I had told you that I was going to try and come up with something else so you wouldn't get bored seeing the same stamp set. Well, I got a little distracted. So I got nothing but this one. Sorry. I do have some other Christmas cards to show you but some have to wait because they are part of a swap (and I don't want to 'expose' them before everyone gets them). And others are my design team challenges which have to wait until the challenge is posted. Tomorrow I hope to be more productive and get some great cards ready for the week. Don't get me wrong, I love this card! I thought Blushing Bride and Perfect Plum look like vintage colors as well. This set is really too much fun! But this will be my last one for a while (I think). Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Greeting Card Kids; Paper- Perfect Plum, Blushing Bride, Basic Black, Watercolor paper; Ink- VersaMark, Perfect Plum, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand; Accessories- Chantilly crochet trim, antique brads, dazzling diamonds glitter, black embossing powder, snowflakes sizzlets, dimensionals

Christmas Baja

Good morning everyone! It's Friday! Are you all ready for a great weekend? Nick has a lots of soccer stuff going on and I have a big team meeting tomorrow. Our team meetings are always fun and we are going to plan to do more of them. So I am excited about that. Today Nick is going to have a friend come over so that will leave me time by myself. And I do have laundry to do... But tonight I get to have Becky's famous chicken and noodles!! We are celebrating Sherry's birthday! So we will get together and eat, and eat, and celebrate and then stamp a little! Sounds like a night of fun!!

Today's card is another of my favorites. I just love these little kids! I found a layout similar to this one and just tweaked it a bit. I also really liked how the Baja Breeze and the Not Quite Navy colors really came together nicely. And you just can't beat the antique brad and the crochet trim. I do have another card but I will try to come up with something else so you don't have to see Christmas cards quite yet (lol). We will see... Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Greeting Card Kids, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper- Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Watercolor paper; Ink- Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake, Blush Blossom; Accessories- Chantilly crochet trim, antique brads, corner rounder, aqua painter, dimensionals

CCMC 111

ETA: Connie and Mary are giving away Blog Candy this week! Be sure to enter your wonderful creation to have a chance to win!! Can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Good morning, Friends! The weekend is almost here! Today is Thursday and that means another challenge at Create with Connie and Mary! Today's challenge has a theme and that is "Back to School". I guess it is that time of year, already! Wow! The summer has really flown by! Anyway, I really didn't have any stamps that seemed to fit the theme. So, when I learned that this would be the challenge, I went looking to see what I might find. I had totally overlooked this set when I first went through the catalog. And then at convention, there were all kinds of demonstrations using this set. So, I went back and there was this image of a little girl and boy off to school. How perfect! And that is what led me to buy this set. Now I have fallen in love with all the images and the set is really versatile! So all of that to say that this is my "Back to School" themed card! I love how these images have that vintage feel so I added some Victoria crochet trim with an antique brad (another of my loves).

I hope you enjoy the card as much as I do. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit Create with Connie and Mary and add your creation. I look forward to seeing what you all create with this theme! Have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Greeting Card Kids, Just Believe; Paper- Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Watercolor paper; Ink- Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake, Blush Blossom; Accessories- Victoria crochet trim, antique brad, dimensionals

Delightful Halloween

Good morning everyone! Has it been a great week for you all? It just seems to be flying by around here! Lots of things to get done before school starts. And then there are all those practices... My husband and I continue to be amazed at how fast our son has grown. We just can't believe that he will be in the fifth grade!! But he can sure be a great kid! And we are so thankful for him!!

Today's card is another from the Greeting Card Kids set. Aren't they just adorable? I love water coloring these cute little guys. This layout is really simple and I didn't even use any ribbon or brads or anything! WOW! How did that happen? So this would be a great card to mail because it will lay flat without any bumps. The post office likes these kind. Hmmm... Might have to send this one to my nieces - when the time comes, of course (lol). Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Greeting Card Kids, Grateful Greetings; Paper- Peach Parfait, Basic Gray, watercolor paper; Ink- Peach Parfait, Basic Gray, Sahara Sand, More Mustard, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz; Accessories- aqua painter, dimensionals

An Early Christmas Card

Good morning everyone! I hope that your week is off to a great start! We are back in the swing of things and this looks to be the routine for the next few months. Soccer practice on Monday, Wednesday, Friday; baseball practice on Thursday and church on Tuesday. And there is the week! Then on most weekends we will be traveling to Denver for soccer games. In fact, the weekend before school starts we will be in Colorado Springs for a soccer tournament. Like I told a friend of mine, the busy-ness starts! If I can pull myself together and get organized, I could have dinner ready before most of these things and we wouldn't have to eat out as much. So I had better get in gear!

Today's card uses the same layout as yesterday's. This stamp set and designer paper is from the new Holiday mini catalog. Isn't it pretty? I love the way this one turned out. The Deck the Halls designer paper is so beautiful! It is really hard to cut it up!! This is the set that I am using for a swap I am in so I can't post that card right now but wait a few weeks and you will get to see that one, too! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Bells & Boughs; Paper- Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Deck the Halls designer paper; Ink- Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Soft Suede; Accessories- Chantilly crochet trim, 2 1/2" circle punch, sponge, dimensionals

Stampin' Addicts Sketch 62

Good Monday morning, Friends! Another week! I just can't believe how the time is flying! In two weeks my son will be starting school. And a new school at that. He will be riding the bus for the first time. When I signed him up at this new school the first day seemed so far away and now it is creeping up on us! We have been school shopping so we are pretty good there. Just a few other things to pick up. His school sent us their into letter and he is supposed to fill out a postcard and send it back. He is supposed to write his name, what he will do to take responsibility of his learning and how he will be responsible for helping his school community. Umm, he's not real excited about doing this. And this came from the principal. So, we will be working on it this week. He is just not the academic type. We will not have that super scholar in our house. Don't get me wrong, he is smart. Just not book type learning smart. But I bet he will LOVE science! Anyway, I am just as anxious to see how his school year will go!!

Today's card is one that I did for a sketch challenge at Stampin' Addicts. I LOVE this sketch!! I think that there is so much it can be used for. In fact I did make another card with this sketch with my new Holiday mini items. It is really fun and super easy! Have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Autumn Splendor, Occasional Quotes; Paper- Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Woodland Cottage designer paper; Ink- Garden Green, Early Espresso; Accessories- 1 3/4" circle punch, itty bitty punch pack, itty bitty button, linen thread, dimensionals

A Mojo Monday Sketch

Good Sunday morning everyone! I hope that your weekend has been going wonderfully! Last night my friend Coleen's son had a birthday and they invited Nick to spend it with him at Banana's. Banana's is a place where you can play putt putt golf, ride go carts, ride the bumper boats, play arcade games and other things. They also make pizza so that is what we had for dinner. My husband and I went too because it had been quite a while since we had seen them and needed to catch up. The kids had a blast and so did the adults! We pretty much closed the place down! So it felt really great to sleep in this morning!! Now I need to get ready to go to another friend's house to do some stamping. Now that sounds fun, too!!

Today's card was inspired from a layout at the Mojo Monday blog. I did leave off one of the layers but I am not sure how I would have worked it in there. I do like the way it turned out! And I am in love with the antique brads and crochet trim. This is a very simple card and a fun layout! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Artistic Etchings; Paper- Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Newsprint designer paper; Ink- Basic Black, Crumb Cake; Accessories- Chantilly crochet trim, antique brads, corner rounder, 1 3/4" circle punch, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, sponge, dimensionals

Halloween Delight

Good morning, Friends! I hope that your weekend is going great! We got home last night and I got Nick to unpack and then I started his laundry! He had a GREAT time! He said that his favorite thing that he did up there was rappelling. He wanted us to drive by the face of the cliff where they did that activity. I have seen it before but it is different now because MY son has gone down it! But I am glad that he liked it and that he actually did it!! He also did fishing, canoeing, high ropes that ended in a zip line and they did an overnighter which meant they hiked to a nearby location and just slept under the stars. He really liked that, too. It is a great Christian camp and they have boys and girls from all over the U.S. come to it. I know, too, that he had a great time because he didn't want to leave the area. It is so beautiful there! My husband and I hope to buy a small cabin there one day. And the temperature was SO nice!! One day... But for now we will just settle for visiting every once in a while.

Today's card is one that I made for the Featured Stamper's challenge on Stampin' Connection. This week's featured stamper was Sandi MacIver. She has a super blog and great ideas! I couldn't find the card on her blog that inspired me but I didn't look back that far, either. This is a super simple card. Don't you just love these cute little kids? I have had a BLAST water coloring them!! And even if you don't like them you will be seeing lots more!! lol!! I took my color combination from the Wicked Fun specialty designer paper. Well, some new toys from the upcoming Holiday mini catalog came yesterday and I am dying to play with them!! Thanks for stopping by and keep checking back for projects made with the new toys! Have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Greeting Card Kids, Grateful Greetings; Paper- Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Basic Black, Watercolor paper; Ink- Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, More Mustard, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Sahara Sand; Accessories- spellbinders oval dies, neutrals buttons, linen thread, aqua painter, dimensionals

Christmas in August?

Good Friday morning everyone! I am not home so I had to pre-post this yesterday. But we are in Lake City at a cabin in the mountains. Ahhhh! We pick up Nick today from camp which is just 5 miles from where we are staying. I can't wait to see him! We will be home later today and I am sure that I will have to start some laundry. Other than that there is not much else to talk about. The weekend is here!

Today's card is one that I made for a sketch challenge on the Stampin' Connection site for demonstrators. I thought this sketch fit my style so I wanted to give it a try. It really could work for so many things! I actually left a layer off, too. I got this Christmas set in my first order out of the new catalog. I really love it and I may use it for my Christmas cards? We will see. I have a few to choose from. Anyway, I thought that the set fit perfectly with this sketch. And the color combination came from the new Deck the Halls designer paper. That paper is gorgeous! So here is the result! Super easy!! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Come To Bethlehem; Paper- Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake; Ink- Early Espresso; Accessories- basic rhinestones, neutrals buttons, linen thread, scallop edge punch

CCMC 110

Good morning everyone! Today is Thursday and that means another challenge at Create With Connie and Mary! Today's challenge is a sketch challenge. This sketch uses a circle and I have to confess that when it comes to circles, I am not real confident. I have the Circle Scissors Plus and it makes great circles but I just can't always figure how to make them work right on my cards. But I thought that this one turned out great. I found a color scheme from my Color Coach that I wanted to try. I am using Not Quite Navy, River Rock, and Tangerine Tango. I did leave off some embellishments that were on the sketch but I didn't have room for anything there. And I think that their card is in a more square shape and I made mine into a regular card size. So you can see that you can take the sketch for inspiration and still make it your own! I do hope that you will make a card for this challenge and be sure to post it over at Create With Connie and Mary! I hope to see your card in the top three picks! Have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Simple Friendship, Fundamental Phrases; Paper- Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla, Neutrals designer series paper stack; Ink- Not Quite Navy, Tangerine Tango; Accessories- Very Vanilla narrow taffeta ribbon, neutrals brads, Circle Scissors Plus, dimensionals

Watercolored Halloween

Good morning, Friends! I hope your week is going fabulously! Ours is really quiet around here. We just keep hoping Nick is having a good time at camp. Tomorrow we are going to Lake City which is a small resort town near the camp. We have rented a cabin to spend the night and then we will be close to pick him up in the morning on Friday. They have invited the families to have lunch with the campers. So that should be fun! I can't wait to hear all about it!

Today's card is one that I did for Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime Sketch. I LOVE this sketch!! And I will be using it time and again! There are so many things you can do with it. And there are some really great samples on her site! She has so many wonderful sketches that I need to get back and go through them. So I jumped on the band wagon and bought this set, Greeting Card Kids. I totally overlooked it on my first orders but at convention this set was being shown quite a bit and I kept thinking 'How cute'!! So I ordered it and it came Monday with the antique brads and the new crochet trim. LOVE those too!!! OMG! They are so much fun to use. Now, most of you will notice that this is the first time I have watercolored in... well, in forever! I have been a watercoloring fool lately! I got some watercolor paper and some new aqua painters. And the rest is history. I am hooked! I am loving the antique look! And Stampin' Up! makes it SO easy with their great accessories! I know Halloween won't be here for a while but I did hear that decorations were out at some craft stores. Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Greeting Card Kids, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper- Peach Parfait, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, watercolor paper, Neutrals patterns designer series paper stack; Ink- Peach Parfait, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Gray, Early Espresso, More Mustard, Sahara Sand; Accessories- Antique brads, aqua painters, corner rounder, dimensionals

Rhinestone Trio

Good morning, Friends! The humidity has finally gone away!! At least for now. It was so nice to wake up to the coolness in the air and not feel like you were sticking to everything. And my ankles are back to normal. There isn't a lot going on around here and it's been pretty quiet since Nick is at camp this week. I can't wait to hear all about his adventures!

Today's card was one I made up quickly last night (so I would have something to post this morning). I used the Stamping 411 sketch to get me inspired. It truly is a super simple card! I think I will have lots of time to play today along with doing the laundry. Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Just Believe; Paper- Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Early Espresso; Ink- Wild Wasabi; Accessories- Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Basic rhinestones, dimensionals

Artichoke Leaves

Good Monday morning everyone! And happy August! I hope that you all had a super weekend! Ours was SUPER busy! Saturday was day one of the basketball tournament and we played three games. We won two out of the three and that seeded us second. Yesterday the #1 and #4 teams played and the #2 (us) and #3 teams played. We won that game so we played the #1 team for the championship. And... We won!!! The boys were so excited to get first place! We only had two practices but these boys sure "gelled" together and really were able to pick up on the plays that the coach showed them. It was SO much fun!! So right after they got their medals and a few pictures we "jetted" out to take Nick to camp which was a 3 hour drive. Yes, we were late but we called to tell them and it ended up not being too big of a deal. Nick found his buddy and I am sure all is well. Although I am still worrying and I look forward to hearing all about his adventures when we pick him on Friday. So we got home about 9:30 last night and we were ever so grateful to fall into bed and go to sleep!

Today's card is one that I really like and enjoyed making. I got the layout idea from a CTMH book. It truly is super simple! And there isn't much to it. The color coach told me that River Rock and Always Artichoke are a dynamic duo which means they coordinate for a monochromatic color scheme. And I have to say that I really like these two together! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Autumn Splendor, Sincere Salutations; Paper- Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Neutrals designer paper pack; Ink- Always Artichoke; Accessories- Neutrals buttons, linen thread, dimensionals

Grateful Greetings

Hello everyone! Boy did it ever rain last night! Finally! However, it is still as humid as ever. My ankles swelled up really big last night and still are a little right now. I am so glad that we will be in a nice cool gym for most of the day today. Nick has his final two basketball games today. We won two out of three yesterday and the one we lost was by six points. Not too bad for only having two practices! We will see how we place! Then after that is all done we drive Nick up to camp. We will be late for the check-in but I think that's o.k. He is so excited! So it will be very late by the time we get home. I am already looking forward to Friday when I can pick him up!!

Today's card is not my favorite at all! Today is the day that demonstrators can order from the new Holiday mini catalog! And I love so much in there that I am afraid of how much my order is going to be!! Yikes! Convention attendees got this set, Paisley Prints, for free along with the Paisley Prints wheel. Well, I am SO not a paisley person. In fact, I would NEVER have ordered this set. But we got it for free so I am trying to make some cards that I can at least live with. Can I live with this card? Hmmmm... I used a Mojo Monday sketch for this one. And that's about all I can say about this one. Just not my favorite. Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Paisley Prints, Grateful Greetings; Paper- Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait, Old Olive; Ink- Peach Parfait, Cajun Craze; Accessories- Square Lattice embossing folder, itty bitty button, scallop square clearlits, dimensionals