Squeezing In Under the Wire...

I know I have posted two times today!! But I did get a chance to squeeze in a card for TSSC101 after all. This is a quick birthday card for a sweet little girl that is coming up soon.

The papers are from Target last Valentine's Day. The heart is a double-sided sticky shape that I glittered with SU! glitter. Not the best card I ever created, but I think it's cute anyway. Thanks for looking!

Never Enough Thank You Cards

I still need to make a few Thank You cards for gifts we received for Carter's arrival, and he is 4 months old!! Not to mention the birthday Thank You cards for Justin and also the Christmas Thank You cards. I'll be busy over the next week while DH is home from work...

This one was a simple layout that I made a batch of cards with a while ago. I'll be going back to this layout and papers to make even more. The papers are from the Sale A Bration paper from SU! last winter. It matches the baby announcements I sent out for Carter. The sentiment stamp is from MFT, and the sentiment panels are cut with Nesties Labels.

I'm sad that this week I have not had a chance to create a card for the Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime Sketch. I love the sketch, but have no time :( Tomorrow she will post a new one and I hope to get that one done!

I hope you all had a great holiday! We took down the tree today and almost all the presents are put away. It's nice to have our house getting back to normal. Thanks for looking!

The Gift Cards Were Nestled...

...all snug with Nuggets! I can't be the first one to figure out that the 8 short nugget box is the perfect size for a giftcard to be placed on top of the chocolates. I did these for two of our neices, DH's co-worker and Justin's teacher. The snowflakes on the candy wrappers and on the image background are from Verve. The snowman is from Kim Hughes for CHF, embossed with detail white EP and colored with Bic Mark Its.




I hope you are all ready for Christmas, or if you celebrated Hannukah, relaxing before a new crazy year begins! We had a birthday party Saturday for Justin,who is turning 6 on Christmas!! Where DOES the time go? Tomorrow is Justin's last day of school, and hopefully DH will have some time off next week, too. I have tentative playdates with about 8 of J's friends, so he won't have time to be bored :)
Thanks for looking!

TSSC 100!

Congratulations to Mary-Jo, who this week posted her 100th Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge at Techno Stamper! Go check them out if you have not already done so - she does a great job each week :)
Here is my take on the sketch, thrown together during Carter's naptime. I have not stamped in about a week, because I had an itch to rearrange the furniture in my house! I changed my stamp room around and did a major clean-out of supplies. Seriously, I feel like I have TOO much and it is overwhelming sometimes to get started on a project. There are a few things started that I hope to finish this weekend between going to and throwing a birthday party. After that, I can start the year fresh and get into a creative routine again. I miss it!!

This paper is from Michael's, Chatterbox Holiday Sprinkles. The ornament is cut from a set of holiday stencils I found while cleaning. The sentiment is from a company that went out of business a couple years ago, Mandarin Pixie. I love the font, though.

Here's the photo I included in the Christmas cards this year. We took hundreds to get a couple good shots, but I always like the home-shot photos better than the studio shots. They are more realistic in my opinion.


Well, Carter is going to wake soon and it is almost time to get Justin from school. Another day done. Next week, there are only 2 1/2 days of school, then they are on break until January 4th. I am promising Justin a trip to NYC on the train to see the Natural History Museum, so hope that the weather is nice at least one day so we don't freeze in the city!! I can't believe he will be 6 years old on Christmas day.

Way to Use Those Bold Brights!

Raise your hand if the Bold Brights from SU! intimidate you!! Here, here! I found a use for some the other day, though - kids' birthday party invites :) We are having a party next weekend for Justin who is turning 6 on Christmas. Since I picked up this cute paper (Junior from American Crafts) from my LSS on Friday night, I used it with Only Orange and Summer Sun to throw together these invitations Saturday afternoon. The words are all from MFT So Inviting. They are very simple, but I love how they turned out.

Have a good weekend! Thanks for looking!

40? Really?

What a great feeling today to be getting stuff done after the debacle of yesterday! DH is out of town on business (in New Zealand!) and the boys gave me a run for my money all day long. Carter was cranky and wouldn't nap; Justin was running a fever and starting to get sick again (he just got over a sinus infection last week!). I was so happy when my head hit the pillow last night, only to be woken up 3 times by Carter during the night. AH, but today is a new day and so far much better for everyone!

As a result, I got some crafting done during Carter's naps. My brother is turning 40on Thursday (yes, he is older than me) and I used Mary Jo's sketch from the Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime Sketch (we're up to #99!) to make this card for him. The numbers are some grungeboard numbers that I heat embossed with black. I made them a little distressed-looking by not covering them completely. The sentiment is from Hambo Stamps and the dp is from the dollar store! I do have to get this in the mail today if it is to get to him on time.

Now I'm off to get some laundry done before it's time to pick up Justin from school. The day flies by too quickly, doesn't it? Thanks for looking!

Looking Ahead to Valentine's Day!!

Yes, I know it's a little bit early, but my Christmas cards are made and I just have a few Christmas projects to get done before the big day. I took a little break from the Christmas stuff and made this little Valentine card using the sketch from Mary Jo at Techno Stamper. This card is only 3x6 inches, and the image and sentiment blocks are only 3/4 of an inch square. The sentiment is from Three Little Words, masked and stamped separately. The hearts are from a punch I've had forever. I'm not sure where the DP is - it's been in my stash, too.
I'm off to bed early in case Carter decides to wake up a lot tonight. His naps were all messed up today and I'm expecting the worst! Thanks for looking!

Baby Boy Card

It's too early to come up with a catchy blog post!! Here is a card I made using the digi stamp from Pink Cat Studio. Proceeds from this stamp went to the Anderson family who lost their son - such a sad story. The reason I made this card was a happy one, though. It went to my DH's cousin who just had her third baby.

I used the Crate Paper dp that I picked up at my LSS and stamped the sentiments from MFT under the image and also on the twill. The image is colored with my Bic Mark Its. Still love those markers, and can't bring myself to spend the dollars on Copics. The balloon is topped with glaze.

Last night I went to a grand re-opening for my lss, which just moved to a bigger new location. It is great! I got some papers for Justin's birthday invites (which have to be made and mailed TODAY!), a new CB folder and a few Spica pens. Oh, and a new color of Stickles. They have so many fun pretty things there, I had to pace myself so I can visit again soon :)

DH is off to New Zealand today for a few days on business, so after bringing Justin to gymnastics, I'm hoping to lock myself in my craft room for a few hours. I hope you all get some time for yourselves today, too :) Thanks for looking!

Hip, Hippo-ray! and A Dilemma

My mom's dear friend just had her hip replaced, and this card went to her. She is recovering very well and is getting back to her old self quickly. I used the hippo from Pun Fun, and the dp is from the dollar store. The pearls are from my stash. It's getting to the point where I have so much stuff I no longer know who made it. I'm sure I'm not the only one with that problem, though. Am I??

I have a dilemma going on in my head, and maybe you readers can help me make a final decision. It is my wish to have a formal living room and a family room in my house, but we don't. What we do have is a living room that functions as a family room and two offices on the first floor. One of those offices is my beloved craft room, with great natural light and easily accessible to the rest of the house. Our basement is finished, but nobody likes to be down there alone (meaning Justin).

My thought is to sacrifice my craft room and convert it to a den-like family room, and move my crafting space to the basement. Who of you has a set-up in the basement? What kind of lighting do you have? We have only small windows and we have pretty good lighting, but it's not sunlight, you know what I mean? I have a feeling I'm going to do this in the end, but wanted to get some feedback from fellow crafters first. Thanks in advance for any insight you can share :) And thanks for looking!

Sweet 1st Birthday

Here is my card for this week's Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge. It is Week 97! I didn't have time to get this card together before leaving for the Thanksgiving holiday, but it's been in my head all weekend!
The papers are from the DCWV Spring Stack and the number is a piece of Tim Holtz Grungeboard that I painted with acrylic paint and then sprinkled with glitter. The cupcake is from Party Hearty and the rick rack was in my stash.
Did anyone brave the Black Friday crowds? I don't have the energy to do that. Though I do love to shop the day after Christmas! Thanks for looking!

Pretty Pleased With Myself On This One...

I really don't like to toot my own horn too much, but I am so pleased with how this card came out!! Toot Toot!! There, I'm done.

The great sketch is from Mary Jo at Techno Stamper. I was running out of days this week to complete the sketch challenge, but had some good nap time yesterday from Carter. The main butterfly is cut with a Cuttlebug die and embossed, then bling-ed up with pearls, rhinestones and my Sakura Stardust pen. The dp is (you guessed it) BG Sultry. The base is Melon Mambo. The sentiment is from CHF Birthday Centers and is traced with the Stardust pen as well.

Here you can see why I love this card so much - I used the main tag panel to hide a gift card! It is raised up on foam tape and is sized just bigger than the gift card so it slides in and out. I even decorated the inside of this card, which I never take the time to do. What a great finishing touch, though!


Well, time to run and get DS to gymnastics class, then hopefully a haircut. Today is Carter's 3-month birthday as well.

Time is FLYING!!! Hope you are all having a good day. Thanks for looking!

A Sheetload of Cutting!

I made this card for the November Sheetload Of Cards contest. The dp is BG Sultry because it was on my desk from the other day. The base is Soft Suede and the pink is Melon Mambo from this year's In Colors. The twill is from SU! a season or two (or three) ago. PMSabella is paper pieced right down to the tiny chocolate that fell out of the box. That was a LOT of tiny cutting and a few times I thought I lost the small pieces. If you can see, the popcorn is detailed with liquid applique.

My time is limited to Carter's nap and I have to also get the laundry done, so off I go. DH is back from his business trip tonight, so fingers crossed for stamp time this weekend! Thanks for looking!

November Sheetload

I made a Sheetload using this month's template, but this is a hard size for me to make. The sentiment is from a set of Martha Stewart acrylic stamps that I found last year, stamped in Red Riding Hood on a Cuttlebugged panel. The rhinestones are from my stash. The DP is Chatterbox Holiday Sprinkles 2-sided paper. I love the red with the Celery and black. The ribbon is some velvet ribbon, also from my stash. Man, I have a big stash!!

Since I always find I need extra holiday cards, these are going into that pile. I'm working on my main set of holiday cards and just have to get photos of the boys to insert. We'll be staging a photo shoot complete with props and wardrobe changes this weekend. It could be an all-weekend affair depending on how tolerant they are with the process!

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week? Yikes, where has the year gone? I hope you are all getting ready to feast on yumminess. Thanks for looking!

Sultry Girls Day In

This week's sponsor for the CPS sketch is MFT and since I recently got a few new WTG sets, I decided to make a girly-girl card. I really should have been working on Christmas cards, Thank You cards and December birthday cards, but this was more fun at the moment.

Can you use an MFT set and NOT paper piece? I can't seem to. Especially with this yummy BG Sultry paper! If I had a million dollars, I would have every BG item there is out there. And a bigger craft room to house them all. And a nanny to watch the kidlets so I could stamp. And a chef to cook dinner so I could stamp while the nanny watched the children. You get the idea. Sadly, I don't have a million dollars...

We had a nice quiet weekend and yesterday was gorgeous outside. DS is fighting a cold/sinus infection and I'm just hoping he is well next week so we can travel to my mom's for Thanksgiving. Today, I'm off to do a little more Christmas shopping. I want to be done before the end of November. Malls in NJ is December are a nightmare!

Thanks for looking!

Cuttlebugger's Shoulder?

Anyone else suffering from this? I'm cranking out about 100 circles for my Christmas cards and my shoulder is sore!! Maybe I'm just out of stamping shape?

This is not a Christmas card, but is one that I had time to make this week for when someone needs a pick-up. I used BG Junebug and decided that the paper was pretty enough to star in the card, so I only stamped the sentiment.

I'm not sure who will get this, but it will go in the mail soon. I'm on a mission to USE what I have, clean out what I don't use, and not let stuff accumulate. This applies to my entire house, not just the craft room. So far, I'm making good progress. Let's hope it keeps up before the holidays and more stuff arrives! I hope you are all having a good day, and are safe from the remnants of Ida if you are on the East Coast. We are having a cold and rainy and windy day here as she blows by. Tomorrow should be nicer. Thanks for looking!

A Hard Card To Make...

As a parent, the worst nightmare is losing a child. I just can't imagine. Sadly, a fellow SCS member lost her 3 year old son recently. Though I do not know them, and we live states away from each other, my heart goes out to the family at this sad time. Sympathy cards are always hard to make, but this one is going to the family of little Henry. If you would like to send some thoughts their way, Kim is hosting a Blog Candy for a Cause to help the family, and Melissa at Pink Cat Studios has a digi stamp that you can purchase to help out, also. I have made this card to send them and also purchased the digi stamp that I will post another day this week. I want to make sure that card reaches its destination before posting.

Meanwhile, this card uses the weekly sketch challenge posted by Mary Jo at Techno Stamper. It is sketch #95!! I have participated in many of the weekly challenges, but not nearly all of them. Now that Carter is napping more regularly in the morning, I am hoping to jump on the challenge wagon again!

The base is Kraft with Night of Navy and dp from SU! hostess benefits. The sentiment is from Little Paper Shop. The edge punch is EK Success.

Today is a half day of school for DS, so I have to run and get him. Then we are having a playdate with two boys on the block. I hope they keep each other quietly entertained! Thanks for looking!

CPS141

It's been forever since I've completed a CPS sketch, so I went to work on the new sketch yesterday. It is #141 and I love the simplicity and versatility of it.
These Martha Stewart gold leaf stickers have been in my stash for a few years now and I decided to use them up on a batch of cards. The papers are Crate Paper Lemon Grass Collection and Little Sprout Collection that I picked up at the LSS on my last trip. Since I only had 5 stickers and made 6 cards, the last card has the leaf from SU! Tags & More cut from some of the dp. The rick rack is from American Crafts and the base is SU! True Thyme from years ago. I still love that color, though! Scalloped squares are made with the Nesties and Cuttlebug.
Well, Carter is crying in the other room. He seems to think that less than one hour is acceptable as a morning nap, and I feel otherwise. Time to try to coerce him back to sleep for a bit or our afternoon is going to be miserable.
Thanks for looking!

A Tag and Two Cuties

I was tagged by Allison! Here goes:

The Rules are:

1. You can only use ONE word!!!
2. Pass this along to 5 of your favorite bloggers!
3. Alert them that you have given them this award!
4. HAVE FUN!!!
***************

1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Your hair? ponytail
3. Your mother? away
4. Your father? disconnected
5. Your fave food? pizza
6. Your dream last night? nonexistent
7. Your fave drink? Tea
8. Your dream/goal? contentment
9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? Stamping
11. Your fear? poverty
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
13. Where you were last night? Home
14. Something that you aren't? fake
15. Muffins? apple
16. Wish List Item? sleep
17. Where did you grow up? boonies
18. Last thing you did? Freecycled
19. What are you wearing? pjs
20. Your TV? reality
21. Your Pets? none
22. Friends? awesome
23. Your Life? full
24. Your Mood? good
25. Missing Someone? mom
26. Vehicle? SUV
27. Something you're not wearing? shoes
28. Your fave store? Target
29. Your fave color? blue
30. Last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Thursday
32. Your best friend? Kristin
33. One place that I go to over and over? Target
34. One person who emails regularly? Kristin
35. Fave place to eat? Uno
36. Facebook? constantly

Here are the five fellow bloggers I'm tagging: Cindy, Jamie, Nicole, Mary Jo, and Angel.

And here is a pic of my two boys with their dad on Halloween. We had a great day and are all still coming down from our sugar high!
Thanks for looking!

Sending Love

Carter is about to wake up from his nap, but I wanted to post this card I was able to whip together the other day. It only took about 15 minutes, which is record time for me! It is going to DH's aunt, who is having some health issues right now. Hopefully it brings a smile to her face and lets her know we are thinking of her!

The base is SU! Pretty in Pink, the embossing is a Nesties rectangle die and the butterflies are Maya Road rubons. My LSS had a buy-one-get-one sale on rubons so I stocked up. I love that there are so many butterflies of all sizes on these sheets! The stamp is the flourish from Baroque Motifs. Sentiment is MFT. It was a terrible rainy day, and the photo isn't the best, but I didn't want to wait for sunshine.

The in-laws arrive tomorrow, so hopefully that means some time in my stamp room over the next week while they play with Carter. I need to dig it out and find that lost Bella stamp and get re-organized. See you then. Thanks for looking!

A Lost Cause-a-Bella

I sat down to make this card last night and realized that I have lost my Causabella stamp. I makes me crazy to think that I have lost anything, so I'm going to have to tear my room apart to look for her over the next week. But hey, it needs a good clean anyway! After I gave up the search last night and went to bed, I realized that I had a few sheets of the image stamped off, so got back to work today.

This card almost consolidates 2 challenges from the past week. Kerry's sketch from Three Clovers Designs, the Girlie theme from SCS Limited Supplies Challenge. {ETA: I just realized that the LSC was to use NO patterned paper unless it was made with stamps. So I'm not as far ahead of the game as I thought :(} The dp is from Perhaps by BG and the cardstocks are Pretty in Pink and Sahara Sand from SU! The hardware is also SU and the pearls are from my stash.

Since I've been making cards as needed lately (if I have the time), this one is headed out in the mail tomorrow to an aunt of mine who is undergoing radiation for breast cancer. Between DH's and my families, we have 3 aunts currently undergoing treatment for various cancers. Please keep them in your thoughts! We went from no family history to this in less than 6 weeks!

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Carter is sleeping in his bouncy chair right now and I'm thanking him for taking a nap so I could play in my craft room! I took Justin to a "Touch-a-Truck" event this morning and we had fun while Carter hung out with Daddy. So this afternoon was a little time for ME! Imagine...

Thanks for looking!

For You, But For Who?

I made this card this morning while (miracle of miracles!) Carter actually napped in his pack n play for more than 20 minutes. Not quite the crib, but a close second. Better than the bouncy chair or my arms! I'm not saying who this card is going to just yet, they will find out when it arrives in their mailbox...

The layout is from this week's Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime Sketch by Mary Jo. It's amazing that I got to it so early in the week! I used the new In Colors and found that this Making Memories dp matched the Rich Razzleberry pretty closely. The pale yellow is from Bazzill scrap from my ever-growing pile. The stamps are from SU! Great Friend and the butterfly is popped up on a foam dot. The ribbon is SU! dotted grosgrain. For the layers under the sentiment, I connected two word window punched pieces and topped them with the new label punch from SU!

Hopefully this card will make it's way to the mailbox this afternoon. Right now, I have to run and get ready for lunch. A friend is coming over and I'm hoping Carter sleeps long enough for me to eat some. I had apple pie for breakfast because I could eat it with one hand - at least it's fruit, right?

Here's hoping you are all enjoying a nice day. We have some nice fall weather here today and my goal is to get out for a walk after picking up DS1 from school later. Thanks for looking!

Gettin' Digi With It...

Maybe I'm dating myself by using a spin-off of a Will Smith song for a blog post title, but it fits...
Did you see that MFT was giving away FREE digi stamps this weekend? I've been skeptical of these digital stamps, because I like the mess of inky fingers and stuff all over my desk. But I have to say that this digital image was SO easy to download and alter to fit exactly how I wanted it on my card! MFT did attach a stipulation to the free image - you have to use it to make a card to send to someone who could use a pick-up. I chose Flopsey "Pulling for You" and made this card for my aunt, who is undergoing chemo and radiation for a recent cancer diagnosis.
The sketch is from Techno Stamper's weekly sketch challenge, which I have not gotten to play along with in a very long time. The sketches are printed out, but I have not sat at my stamp desk in about 8 weeks (that's how old Carter is now!). Last night I pulled out my new June Bug BG paper pad and got busy. The base is Bazzill, and the flower was from my stash. The sentiment is computer generated, layered on the word window punch and new label punch.
We are having another rainy and cold day here today, and Carter is not napping lately (anyone have any insight into an 8-week old that won't nap?), so who knows if I'll get to stamp again any time soon. But thanks for looking!!

Howdy, Birthday Boy!

Every Friday I see the No Time To Stamp challenge and every week slips away before I can tackle it. Yesterday, though, I was in need of a birthday card for a party in the afternoon, and it was a perfect challenge. This week was to use letters or numbers on your card. Since the birthday party was for a boy turning 6, I went with that. The cowboy Billy is from Pink Cat Studios and I tried to glue the twine around the 6 to make it look like he was roping it in. And you can't see in the photo, but I used a glitter pen to monogram a "J" on his belt buckle. The number is a piece of Tim Holtz grungeboard inked with a Cat's Eye in Rouge and blinged with Stickles.
We had a great time at the party and look forward to the next one. We have a busy fall birthday season around here with DS's friends! Hope you are enjoying your Sunday and got some cards done for WCMD yesterday! Thanks for looking!

Mom, Cindy, Brenda, Kristin, Michelle - DON'T LOOK!

These thank you cards are in the mail to all the kind folks who sent us baby presents. It took forever to get them made between naps and nursing, but I do like how they ended up. I used Flopsey and paper pieced her with Delicate Dots dp from SU! The flowers are also paper pieced and the centers are sparkled up with Stickles. It's the same paper pack I used for the baby announcements and I have almost finished the whole pack!! One pack of paper down, many many more to go...

The sketch is actually from CPS last Sunday. It's a miracle that I actually finished a project with a sketch the same week it was posted. It's the little things that are making me happy now. I seem to have this irrational need to *get things done* during the day, which just doesn't happen with a new baby. But I can't let it go and it's making me crazy! It shouldn't take three days of planning to actually get the bills paid and mailed! Oh, well, the little Chunk o' Love is growing and is up to 10lbs 5oz at his 6-week checkup yesterday. He was 6lbs 9oz at birth! And I got my first real smile yesterday :)

I hope you all have a wonderful World Card Making Day. If the stars are aligned, I will get to create a bit later. At least to make a birthday card for a party this afternoon! Thanks for looking!

I Mailed a Herd of Elephants

Earlier last week and they are reaching their destinations, so it is safe to post this card now. These are the birth announcements I made - 40 of them! Why did I design a card with paper pieced elephants and such large embellies when I had to mail them and pay extra postage? I'll never know, but I really like them! The elephant stamp is A Muse and the sentiment is Hero Arts. The dp is Delicate Dots from the last SU! Sale-a-Bration. I love the colors and put it all on a Certainly Celery base. Coloring is done with Bic Mark It! markers. And I used almost the whole jar of Prima flowers :) You don't know how many flowers I have in my stash, so it feels good to use them!
Carter is one month old already and I can tell he has grown leaps and bounds. He is almost out of all the Newborn size clothes, and is into Size 1 diapers. He no longer has chicken legs and has added a second chin. He is starting to be awake and alert a lot more and is sleeping for a few hours at a stretch at night. Though he is still nursing almost every 2-3 hours, he obviously needs it to keep this pace of growth. His next dr. appt is next Friday, so we'll get the official stats then :) Meanwhile, DS1 is in first grade and loves school. Tonight is open house, so I get to meet his teacher and see how he spends his days. I can't wait!
Hope you all had a nice last day of summer! Thanks for looking :)

Baby Baby

In August, DH's cousin's wife had their fourth child, a sweet little boy. The funny thing is that their oldest and our oldest are 3 weeks apart in age, and now our youngest are 2 weeks apart in age. Never mind thtat they have two in between! They live in the midwest and we are hoping to get all these cousins together next summer! Luckily, I was able to complete this card and mail their baby gift before going through all the baby drama of our own.

The image was a RAK and I just think he is adorable. The B stamp is paper pieced and the image is colored with Koh-i-noor pencils and blended. The dp is also from a RAK and I've been waiting for a little boy to be born to use it. There have been lots of girl babies, but few boys.

My little boy is just over 2 weeks old now, and is happily sleeping for the moment. He is a voracious eater and wants to feed about every 2 hours, even at night. He also seems to have a fussy period every evening. I wouldn't call him colicky, just hard to settle and hungry from late afternoon till around 10 or so. So although I'm tired, we are settling into a schedule, I think. Of course, now he'll change it up and throw us a curveball!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by today!

To My Enablers

I made these cards for my girlfriends, with whom I went on a shopping spree in July. It was a long awaited girls' weekend that we spent shopping, eating and chatting. Those weekends are so few and far between that we all relished it. With 8 kids between the 3 couples, you can imagine it's hard to get away! Never mind that we live in 3 different states :)

The bulk of our shopping took place at the outlets. Of course, I had to get something at Coach (two things actually). The sales were amazing and my favorite item was about half off. Therefore, so was the guilt at getting it! From the bag, I cut the strips of Coach paper and used the Bella stamp along with the Hanna Stamps sentiment to complete the card.

Our newest addition is 16 days old today. So far he has been sleeping, nursing, dirtying diapers and starting that routine all over again. It's so strange to have a newborn in the house again, we are all taking time to adjust. DS #1 started first grade last week, so it will be nice to settle into a routine this coming week. We hope! My mom has been here since Wednesday but goes home today and I will miss those extra hands. She has done all of my laundry for the past days and I feel spoiled... Thanks, MOM!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend and is enjoying the same beautiful weather we are enjoying here. Thanks for looking!

My Latest Creation...

...came a little early at 37 weeks. Carter Joseph arrived via c-section at 6lbs, 9oz. He's so much smaller than his brother!


It's been a rough week - he was born on August 21st and we were home two nights when he ended up being re-admitted to the hospital for jaundice. We spent 5 days there, with him under the bili lights waiting for his bilirubin levels to drop. Finally yesterday he was cleared to come home and we are all exhausted! Apparently, he doesn't like to sleep alone at night and DH and I took turns last night holding him while he slept. I understand that I'm not setting a good precedent here, but I think it's going to take us a few days to develop some sort of normal routine. Maybe his room was too dark after the hospital? Too quiet? Any tips out there? I feel like a first time mom all over again!!

Hopefully I can find some time to stamp again soon. I have a pile of birth announcements that have to be completed and a box from SU! that I haven't even opened yet. Horrors!

One More Christmas Card for the Stash

On a recent trip to Michael's, they had this Chatterbox paper (Holiday Sprinkles) on clearance. I love the color combination and picked up a few sheets. One side is polka dots, the other side is a pattern with holly leaves and berries and swirls.

The sketch is from Mary Jo at Techno Stamper. I love this layout and it was perfect for highlighting both sides of the paper. The sentiment is from an old SU! Set, Greetings 4U.

Hopefully later today I will have more time to do more challenges. DS has been crafting with me and now we're getting ready for lunch. DH will start working on finishing my basement laundry room and we'll see what the afternoon brings. I think a trip in the pool is in order - it's hot outside!! I hope you are all having a great weekend. Thanks for looking!

Using My New Elzybells!

This week's Use It Challenge is to use a new technique, a virgin stamp, and new papers. I was the lucky winner recently of some Elzybells stamps from Charlene at Willow and Paisley and decided it was time to ink her up. She is so adorable, I LOVE this set! Go check out Charlene's blog, too - her cards and projects are gorgeous :)

For the elements of the challenge, I used the Pierced Spotlight technique from the Feb/March 2009 Technique Junkie Newsletter. I got the heart shape from a die cut in my stash. I colored the spotlighted part with Prismacolor pencils and blended them with OMS. The papers I used are from a Target dollar spot pack of dp from around Valentine's Day. The virgin stamp was the Elzybells image and sentiment. For the ribbon treatment, I cut a length of silver satin and crimped it with the pink brads from my stash. It's a tiny bit crooked, but I like the detail of it. The scalloped rectangle layer was cut with Nesties in the Cuttlebug.

Well, DS is off on his first solo play date and I have to get him soon. I hope he was well behaved. The little girl whose house he is at loves to play with cars and even has a few race tracks, so I'm sure it will be a success! Too bad it's raining and they won't be able to go outside. His recreation camp ended today and the next two weeks we'll have full days to occupy before school starts. Yikes! First grade, here he comes...

I hope you are all enjoying the summer and aren't too hot or too rainy in your area! Thanks for looking!

I'm Not MIA...

...but I can't believe I haven't posted in over a week! We are in baby-preparation mode around here and most of my time has been taken up by laundry. I think it was easier with the first one and everything was brand new. Things still needed to be washed, but there were no stains to soak out! Things are under control, though, and a day or two each week for the next few should take care of the rest.



I did have a bit of time to craft yesterday morning while DS was at camp (sadly next week is the last week!). I made this card for our family friend who just had her baby girl. I am also going to send her this frame which I actually already had decorated - I just added the baby's name in polka dot chipboard letters. The small Bella images are from their Christmas special and are the perfect size! I popped up the belly in the center image and did some paper piecing for the outfits. The dp is SU! and the border was punched with the Fiskars Upper Crest border punch. Sentiment is A Muse, ribbon is American Crafts, ovals were cut with Nestabilities in the Cuttlebug. The base card is Pink Pirouette.

The papers on the frame (from Ikea) are from the DCWV Spring Stack. I swear, that is the neverending paper pad - I don't think I'll ever use it up! Chipboard letters are from Target.

Well, I have a few hours of quiet this afternoon since DH took DS for a long errand. I am beginning working on decorations for the nursery, but might give in and take a nap. Hopefully I'll be able to sneak in more craft time this weekend. I got my work area cleaned up this morning as I was poking around, so it's ready to go!

I hope you all have a good weekend! I'll at least be back to post some great happy mail I have received in the last couple of weeks. And I think there's a blogoversary to be celebrated here in the next couple of days. So look out for some candy :)

Thanks for looking!

Wedding Card, Take Two

Today, I've got some creative juices flowing! Yay!! So while DS was at camp this morning, I put together this wedding card. I used the Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime Sketch #80. The papers are from Momenta called Story of Us. I found this pad at my local craft store a while ago on a super sale and love the patterns and colors. They are a black/gray/blue/cream color palette and include fleur de lis patterns, stripes, floral vines and this pattern with words. The swirl image is from a set of flourishes I have and it is accented with Liquid Pearls. Sentiment is MFT. I don't have any frilly wedding stamps, but like the look of this flourish with the pearl accents. It is also lacking ribbon, but I think it's ok. The couple is not really into frilly and are having a very simple outdoor reception. Too bad I will be too pregnant to travel to share the festivities!

Have a good week. Thanks for looking!

Baby Girl Apron Card

This week, my mom's neighbor's daughter had a baby girl. It is her first, and the first grandchild, so everyone is very excited to welcome Alyssa to the world. I used MJ's Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime Challenge, which was to make an apron card, to make this card for the new grandparents. The template is from Sweet and Sassy Notes and you can find it HERE. I used some Pink Pirouette cs as a base, and added some CTMH dp. The pocket is made from a scrap of brown, and I added some Prima flowers to it. The ribbon is from American Crafts and and says "baby girl" in brown and pink. The little tag in the pocket is sponged with Pink Pirouette and the "congrats" is from MFT, stamped in Close to Cocoa. The ribbon on the tag is also American Crafts.

Hopefully this week I'll have more stamping mojo, as I have lots of cards to make between upcoming babies, birthdays, anniversaries and my own Christmas cards to make. Wishing you all a great week ahead! Thanks for looking!

Use It #19 Challenge

This week's Use It challenge was to use monochromatic scraps, a tag or label, at least one of your favorite stamps, and a layered flower. I pulled some blues out of my scrap bin and put this together using Kraft as a neutral. The flowers are made from the Cuttlebug die and I added the image from A Little Bit of Happiness colored with Prismacolor pencils to the small Nesties Labels One die. The rhinestones are from my stash and the mini brad is a Queen & Co mini sprinkles brad. The large blue panel is embosses with a Cuttlebug folder, as is the layer behind the flowers. I wish I could tell the exact colors of the papers, but since I am not exclusively using SU! papers, items from my stash could be anything.

This past weekend was spent with my two best girlfriends and I am still recovering from being so tired. Who knew that shopping and chatting could make one so tired? And this baby is kicking up a storm and keeping me up at night. DS is having a blast at his day camp, but I pick him up at noon and each afternoon we have been spending time in the pool, too. I'm more tired staying home than I was working!!

Hope you are all having a good summer. Thanks for looking!

Wedded Bliss

Yesterday's SCS Sketch was an easy one, and I needed a wedding card. Here is the result. I'm not sure if it's the final card I will give the happy couple, but I have a few weeks before the big day to change my mind. I used Basic Grey Periphery dp in Cork, and some BG Periphery die cuts. The yellow ribbon is from Ribbons and Bow, Oh My! Pearls are Queen and Co. I also added a strip of embossed gray and trimmed around the embossing (Frills edge folder and Cuttlebug).

I'm headed off for a weekend with some girlfriends and can't wait to leave tomorrow! So today I have to get the house cleaned up for the boys. What I really want to do is take a nap, and I might try to convince DS to do that after lunch. Wish me luck. Thanks for looking!

Gerber Inpired CAS23

This week's CAS challenge is to choose an image from Art.com and use it as inspiration. Here's the image I chose: Three Gerberas. Of all the challenges posted in a week, this is one of my favorites of all. The base of my card is Kraft, and the green layer is a sheet of Making Memories from a Christmas dp pack. The flower stamp is unknown, and I know it's not really a gerber daisy, but it worked! The colors are Summer Sun, Cameo Coral and Rose Red. The white panel is scored to make a frame and I also scored the Kraft layer on either side of the sentiment. The sentiment is from MFT.

Almost time to pick up DS from camp. Hopefully he'll want to craft later and I can get more done! Have a good afternoon and thanks for looking!

Bedding Inspired Thank You

My in-laws sent me a gift card to a craft store for my birthday earlier this week, and I wanted to make a special Thank You card for them. In yesterday's mail, there was a Bed Bath and Beyond flyer that has this bedding on the cover:




I just think the colors are gorgeous and cheery, so I set out to use them this morning. But can you believe (gasp! Horror!) that I don't own a fleur de lis stamp? In all the stamps I have, that is one that I'm missing. I might have to hop over to PTI later and remedy that situation :)

Instead, I used Verve's Filigree Fantasy. The striped strips are from SU! Happiness and the sentiment is MFT. I used Gable Green ink and the Aqua petal from my Colorbox set that I have had forever. The papers are from the craft store and the flowers are Primas. For some reason, the colors are a bit washed out in the photo, but I'm too lazy to go somewhere else to take another pic. How bad is that?

Well, we have a lunch date at 12, and I have some other things to get done before we go. If you choose, please make a card using this bedding as inspiration and post it here in the comments! I'd love to see what you come up with :) Thanks for looking!

Starting Christmas Cards!

Today, I combined the Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime Sketch #77 and the SCS Ways to Use It challenge. I turned the sketch on it's side to accomodate the sentiment panel. The stamp is from SU! All Year Cheer and is embossed in gold EP. The corners are punched with a Fiskars Lace punch. The papers are Making Memories and the ribbon, little snowflakes, and brads are from my stash.

My goal is to have easy holiday cards this year that I can mass-produce. I guess I should start now, because I'll also have baby announcements to make this fall. Those have been started, though :).

Can you believe the year is half over already? Yikes! I hope you are enjoying your day and thanks for looking!

Sunshine Inspired

This week's CPS sketch was a fun one, and I combined it with the SCS Color Combination from yesterday. The Color Combo was Creamy Caramel, Apricot Appeal, Tempting Turquoise and Baja Breeze.

The stamps are all from By the Seashore by MFT. The base card is Tempting Turquoise and the dp are from my stash, so I don't have the details. The image layers are Baja Breeze and Apricot Appeal. The image is stamped in Creamy Caramel and paper pieced and colored with Bic markers. Those MFT stamps are too much fun to paper piece!! The sentiment is stamped in TT and the small sun image is cut from the dp and I added a bauble to the center.

I think this card has the most layers of all the cards I have made to date. I like it, even though it will definitely take extra postage! Well, my morning time is up and it's time to pick up DS from camp. He's going from 9-12 four days a week and is having a blast so far. Today is a gorgeous day outside, so I'm sure we'll be in the pool after lunch. I hope you are all enjoying some sunshine as well. Thanks for looking!

New Home Congrats

Friday is the day that the new Use It Challenge is posted. This week, challenge #17 is to use your newest papers, put a name on the card, include at least one button and some stitching. Here's mine, a new home card for my brother-in-law and his wife. The dp is BG Marrakech, which is the newest paper I have, despite a recent trip to the LSS and seeing great new Lime Rickey and other collections!

The button "doorknob" is from my stash. The name is spelled with Heidi Grace rub-ons and framed with a Making Memories label holder. The house stamp was a RAK and I don't know what company it's from. For the door, I used a sponge brush to paint a cream textured panel with Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa ink for a wood look. The colors don't all blend perfectly together, but I like all the elements. So off it goes.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th. We went to a bbq at some friends' house and then were invited there again yesterday to help eat the leftovers. They had a ton of food! It was great to hang out with everyone all weekend and now it's back to the week. My car battery is dead, so I had to walk DS to his first day of Recreation Summer Camp and we were almost late. Thankfully it's only 1/2 mile away. I know I should walk it every day instead of driving, but I have exercised so little during this pregnancy I'm afraid to do too much now that it's hot out.

Thanks for looking!