Happy Spring!

Can you believe it's finally here? DS has been so excited for the first day of Spring, and we woke up to snow falling. Luckily, it's not sticking and should be stopping soon, but what a sight!



Here's a spring-y card I made for Easter using my new Basic Grey papers. This is from the Sultry pad. Love their papers!! The tree image is from Unity Stamps and the sentiment is Clearly Impressed. The small flowers are from Prima and the rhinestone centers are from my stash, as is the ribbon. This tree has been on my desk since I ordered it months ago, and I finally had the chance to ink it up. I love it! This card will probably go to my grandparents.

Well, I'm off to start laundry and then stamp some. I'm thinking it's a good day for a pajama day and being creative. Since it's so gray and gloomy outside, I'll stay in with my toys and catch up on all the challenges I've missed over the past few months. Thanks for looking!

LSC159

Did you see today's Limited Supply Challenge on SCS? NO TOOLS! Yikes! I decided to make it simple all the way with this card. The base is Bazzill Bling, cut to 4 1/4 by 5 1/2, but is a single layer, not a folded card. DP is Moxie Sweet & Sassy. The cream panel is actually a small notecard, and it is mounted on the other panels so that it opens a bit like a flap card. The notecards are in my stash and I'm trying to use stuff instead of hoarding! I stamped the Rhonna Farrer flourish in Certainly Celery, and the flower stamp from Baroque Motifs in Lavender Lace and Pretty in Pink. The butterfly is actually a Prima flower with one of the petals cut off. I saw it done here at Gleefully Done and copied the idea. The butterfly antennae are drawn with a black glaze pen. Inside I stamped Happy Easter. I think I overcorrected the brightness of the photo. So, if anyone is wondering why I have had so much time to post today (I think it's a record!), DS is home sick AGAIN!! When are all the germs going to be gone? He was sick all week, and went to school yesterday, but woke with a fever again this morning. Poor little guy. And poor us, paying for a full week of daycare when he only attended 2 days! Oh, well. This fuels my argument that I should quit my job, stay home and have another baby, get my school media certification and go back to work in a school library when the (hypothetical) baby is old enough for preschool.

I just had one of those weeks when I don't feel that I did anything well, because too many things are demanding my attention. My fix? Hide in my stamp room and play! Sorry for the ramble - thanks for looking!

WCMD Challenge #2

I can't believe I actually pulled off completing two challenges so far. Justin got to play some games on the computer and did some of his own papercrafting, so he was relatively unobtrusive while I did them. Now, my husband is done with his work, so I get more time. What a rarity!

I completed this card for Cathy's challenge over at A Paper Garden. You can find details here. The card had to have a special fold. I chose the Criss-Cross card style. I used dp from CTMH and Basic Grey Blush lines. Stamps are Delight in Life from SU! stamped in Pretty in Pink. The flower on the front is colored with pencils and blended, then outlined with a pink marker. Mounted on a brown circle to make it pop with Pop Dots. Ribbon is from Michael's dollar bin. Pink and white cs are standard craft store variety. For the tab, I stamped the small flower from Delight in Life twice, then cut them out and mounted them together for a stronger tab. Do you think it should be colored in?

Well, off to see what other challenges are out there to see what I can sneak in before dinner time. Thanks for looking!

RAK For A Cause

Here's my RAK to send to the family mentioned in yesterday's post. I started with a light blue base, which is watermarked with swirls if you look really closely. The floral panel is Sketchy Daisies by Stemma, mounted on a textured mustard panel. The same blue is used for the smaller panel across the bottom and the sentiment (All Year Cheer I) is clear embossed onto a Giga Scalloped Oval punched from the same mustard textured cardstock. I pierced around the scallops to add a little something. Ribbon is from SU! grosgrain collection. Simple, simple, but I hope it brings them a smile.

I also finished my swap cards today. But after they were all sealed and ready to be mailed, I realized I forgot one of the layers I was going to add. Oops. They still look nice without it, but that final layer really made them pop. I'm not tearing them all apart to add it in now, though!

After this week of relaxation, I am tired! How can that be? And is it horrible to say that I have not missed work? Tomorrow is my last day to myself, as my hubby and son will be home with me all weekend. I'm hoping to sneak away for some Card Making Day challenges - we'll see if Justin takes a nap Saturday...

Floral Birthday

My favorite type of card is a birthday card, I think.
Maybe that's just because those are what I make most often... This month is especially full of birthdays - 6 I think. I'd better get busy!!

Patterned paper from Close to My Heart Cocoa Cafe collection. Purple scraps, and brown scraps from my ever-growing pile! Image is stamped in Basic Black ink on white cs, colored with pencils and blended. Mounted on the reverse of the striped paper, which is a great distressed turquoise-y color. I made some photo corners in purple and in the stripe to counter the panels. Simple, like all my cards seem to be these days.

Got my box of goodies from Frugalities today. Can't wait to play later. Ran around all morning on this one day off this week and am going to relax for a bit before diving into stamping. Still have to go to the grocery store, but think I can procrastinate on that till tomorrow after work... Just have to go pick some eggplant and tomatoes from the garden and we're set for a late-summer veg pasta! Will I enjoy cooking anymore when our new kitchen in installed??? I doubt it.

Thanks for looking!

Big Blossom Monochrome

Let me start by saying I CASED this from a blog and now can't remember whose blog it was.

If it's you, or if you know who it is, please come forward and claim credit!

This was a challenging card, but I love how it came out. However, since I didn't record where it came from, I can't even properly post the directions. Very un-librarian like of me, I know. I should cite my sources. Anyway, it is using Big Blossom and Favorite Greetings. The ribbon is from the Michael's dollar bin. The faux stitching is done with white colored pencil.

I hope you like it! I only have time for a quick post today. Thanks for looking!

Monday again already?

Where oh where has the weekend gone? Granted I worked Saturday, but yesterday went by much too quickly!

My DS is sick with cold/allergies and asthma flare-up, so we had a quiet day at home yesterday. Well, quiet if you blocked out all the whining! That means I got to play for a bit in my stamping space. He likes to "be busy" with me and will color while I stamp for short amounts of time...

This card is actually from a couple months ago. Here are the details: black background, pale blue patterned paper (not sure from which company - can update when I get home and look). Black torn panel tied over with pale blue organdy ribbon from Michael's. The stamp is Anita's and has been in my collection forever, but I love the simple flower. It is stamped on 3 white panels and colored in with chalks. I hope you can click on the photo to get a closer image, because it really is a pretty card. I haven't given it away yet because I'm waiting for just the right occasion...

This week, my plan is to spend a little time each evening in my stamping space. This will have to be after I deal with the bounty of our garden, though! Tomatoes and zucchini and eggplant have taken over the kitchen counters and must be cooked, canned and frozen as we can't possibly eat them all. It's that time of year when our neighbors see us coming with zucchini and run inside and lock their doors!

Have a Happy Monday and thanks for looking :)