Washi You a Merry Christmas

I have climbed back on the crafty wagon and have been using up my stash. Over the past few weeks, I have made SO many cards, I have a huge box getting ready to send to OWH. I've been making a lot of CAS cards, but have been experimenting with other styles to push myself as well. These cards are inspired by the Washi tape card on the cover of Cardmaker Magazine's July issue. Because there is so much tape on a roll of Washi tape, I was able to make 15 holiday cards in a flash. I'm planning on making some more colorful birthday cards, too. Thanks for looking!

Wow, It's Been A While!

Lots of changes here in our schedules, so I've been trying to slip in to a new routine. Carter started full-time Montessori school a few weeks ago and I've been playing catch-up with appointments. Next week, I'm heading to Dominican Republic for vacation (no hubbies and NO kids!) with some girlfriends, so this week will be full of packing, pedicures, stocking the house with food for the boys, etc. Probably not a lot of stamping is going to happen this week :(

However, I realize that it is the last week of February and I haven't posted my SFYTT entry yet! I stretch myself with Jen's sketches and am enjoying the outcomes. I hope you like it too! The papers are from BG Offbeat. I love all those patterns and haven't been sure how to use them. The paper flowers are from my huge stash. I used a bunch of them for Mother's Day Cards for OWH, too, and will be mailing them after I get back.

I hope you are enjoying the end of the weekend. I'll be back on the other side of my vacation! Can't explain how excited I am to get away for a little bit. Sun, sand, old friends and new friends. Oh, and wine! It's all good...

Thanks for looking!

Keeping Up With Challenges

I am determined this year to complete the sketches Jen posts on her blog, I {heart} to Stamp. Really, really determined! Here is a card using the January sketch, with some old papers from Heidi Grace designs. I know the patterns are all from the same collection, but I still have a hard time mixing patterns. If someone knows of an online class that teaches how to mix patterns, please let me know!! After letting this card sit a few days, I have to say that I do like it. I hope you do, too!

Thanks for looking!

Clean and Simple Valentine

Right after Christmas, I made a ton of Valentines to send to OWH. Since I still have a ton of Valentine stuff to use up, I am still making cards, but trying to use "love" sentiments instead of "Valentine" sentiments. Here is one of those cards. The paper is old DCWV. Those stacks last FOREVER!!! The heart is the SU! heart punch and the sentiment is Verve. The layout of the card is from FTL172 at Clean & Simple Stamping. I adore their sketches and can't wait to see the new ones each week!

I hope you are all having a good day. It is cold here, but sunny and no sign of snow. Which is a good thing, since I'm in Texas and snow is a rarity! The wind is ridiculous, though. Thanks for looking!

New Year, New Creations!

I have really let the blog go by the wayside over the past few months, and I am struggling with time management. I don't want to feel the stress of creating for the sake of posting. However, this year is the year of finding myself again and that includes crafting. It also includes having a community of like-minded people, so here I am. Please let me know if you are still around to read this little blog o' mine!



To begin the year, here is a card that was inspired by the Moxie Fab World Cool Tools die-cut challenge. I used the Cuttlebug Love Language die to make a bunch of the "XO" shape with vanilla card stock and mounted them on a vanilla panel. I then cut the hearts and "Love You" from the same die in black and Real Red card stock and attached them to the center. The layers are Basic Black and Real Red.

I hope you like it! I am rather frustrated by the smudges in the upper left hand corner, but just have to find my good eraser and I think I can clean it up. Thanks for looking!

Peace on Earth

This is the card I made for DH to send his colleagues. I made 92 of them and they came together rather quickly. The globe stamps is from Avocado Arts and the sentiment is Technique Tuesday. The continents are stamped in Garden Green on Very Vanilla and there is a Garden Green layer under the Vanilla. I love this card. I hope it doesn't just end up in the trash!

I have all my holiday cards done and am finishing up teacher gifts and such. Should be done by the end of the weekend. I have to be done by then because next week is the last week of school for our kids until the new year! It's hard having them home the entire week before Christmas, because that's when I've usually done all my last-last-minute stuff. Instead, I have to keep them entertained.

I hope you are getting in the spirit! Thanks for looking!

Wreath with Nestabilities!

I am almost done with my Christmas cards for this year. The goal is always to have them mailed out by the end of the first week of December. I think I will make it! I only have about 15-20 more to make. This year, I didn't mass produce one design. Instead, I'm making 6-8 of various designs as I try to use every Christmas stamp set that I have. A few were still left out, and they are going to go in a giveaway pile. If I have not inked them up in 3+ years, I think it's time to say goodbye to them!

This card is very simple. I used my Scalloped Circle Nesties and the Inverted Scalloped Circle Nesties to make a wreath. Then I ran it through with the Evergreen embossing folder by Sizzix. I love how it turned out! The sentiment is from Technique Tuesday. The ribbon is from my pile - I really have to start using ribbon to get rid of my huge collection!

Here is a closer photo of the wreath:



I'm off to pick up Carter from school and run Justin to the doc for allergy tests. Let's hope for good results! I always get antsy before a testing appointment. So hard not to get my hopes up that the results will be negative at last. Maybe this year?? Probably not, though...

I hope you are all knocking things off your to-do lists in preparation for this crazy time of year! Thanks for looking!