My Kid's Weird....

Her new favorite hiding spot...UNDER the tree, UNDER the tree skirt. :)

Clean and Simple Challenge--Disney Inspired

My entry for the Disney-inspired CAS47 challenge on SCS. I pulled my color scheme and theme from the new movie The Princess and the Frog. :) I used my retired Unfrogettable set and paired it with my new Tiny Tags set for the crown and greeting. Colors used are Garden Green, Certainly Celery, More Mustard, and Very Vanilla. As stated, I used my Tiny Tags set for the 2010 SU! Occasions Mini (starting 1/5) and my scallop border punch that will be available as a Sale-A-Bration selection in 2010 as well! :) Thanks so much for looking and for any comments.

Butterfly Card Gift--part 2 (Kristin, don't look)

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, More Mustard
Supplies: Cuttlebug embossing folder, SU! Sizzix Beautiful Butterfly Embosslit, green rick-rack
Stamp: SU!

Part 1--gift set (Kristin, don't look if you check out my blog!)

Every year I raid my humongous baggy of small scraps and make a bunch of cards to give to people for little Christmas presents. I am going to be giving my sister-in-law a set of five cards as well as an altered pocket calendar in addition to her "real" Christmas present from us--all of her projects feature a butterfly theme because I just got the new SU! Sizzix Embosslits die from the Occasions Mini that starts in January and I am having a blast playing with it.

All of the cards are pretty clean and simple since that's my primary style and how my brain works--I LOVE the look of more ornate cards, but I really have a hard time creating in that style. Anyway, this card was created using SU! Cardstock (More Mustard, Soft Sky, Basic Gray, Old Olive, and Whisper White). The above-mentioned embosslits die was used for the butterfly and I used the Modern Label punch for the sentiments. The sentiments came from a Hero Arts greeting set and I drew in the three ellipses (...) at the end of "Just saying hello." I used a fine-tip black Zig marker for the butterfly body and antennae and my tiny, tiny staples (in an X formation at the ends of the labels) are vintage.

Thanks so much for looking and for any comments! :)

This is one of the main reasons I bought this set by American Girl at Michaels (manufactured by EK Success). This little deer stamp is ADORABLE! :) The sentiment is Hero Arts and the cardstock is all SU! The base is So Saffron, the blue is a retired InColor, the pink is Pink Pirouette, and the mat around the Whisper White circle is Really Rust I believe. I rounded the corners with the SU! Corner Rounder and used my QK Revolution to cut the blue border. The ink is by VersaColor and I embossed it with clear embossing powder. Thanks so much for looking and for any comments! :)

NEW Tiny Tags (SU! Occasions Mini)

I preordered this set from the SU! Occasions Mini and I LOVE it. I have always been a fan of diminutive stamps for some reason and I really love how this has the coordinating punch that fits the images perfectly. I also used my new Beautiful Butterfly Embosslit from SU! (also in the Occasions Mini). Kraft, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, and Kiwi Kiss are the colors I used for the card. A More Mustard brad sets off the other colors. Thanks so much for looking and for any comments! :) (edited 12/21--changed photo out)

Monster Friends

I got this REALLY cute acrylic set at Michaels by American Girl that EK Success made for them. This is just a simple, clean card that I whipped up using scraps from my scrap baggie. The main image is popped up using dimensionals and the sentiment is by Technique Tuesday. I embossed the monsters with clear embossing ink and the ink I used is pigment ink by Versacolor. I thought it turned out pretty cute. I will have another card tomorrow using an adorable deer stamp from this same set. Thanks so much for looking and for any comments! :)

One of a Kind

This is such a terrible picture, but you get the idea. All of the elements of this card were in my scrap baggie (except for the card base). I used two tiny staples to attach the Doodlebug flower to the punched circle. A small square of Kraft with the corners rounded was embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder and the vanilla Modern Label punch was adorned with the Hero Arts sentiment. The base is Pink Pirouette. Thanks so much for looking and for any comments! :)

Zee--From Nick Jr! :)

Gracie and Ava love Nick Jr. (formerly Noggin) and I thought Zee would be pretty easy to paper piece. :) I made this little decoration to hang from a shelf with pegs on it that is in Gracie's room. I hand-cut the beak and legs, but everything else is punched. The body and wings are SU! punches as well as the flower and embellished corners (scallop circle, scallop oval, small oval, 1/2" circle, 1/4" circle, ticket corner, and Trio Flower). The stem and leaf is a Marvy Punch (I cut off some extra leaves in order to mimic Zee's flower), the blue rhinestone is by Darice. I used Ballet Blue, Pink Pirouette (retired), Pixie Pink, Basic Black, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, and So Saffron cardstock. The rick-rack is a mini spool I bought from Michaels a long time ago. I thought it turned out pretty cute! :)

Baby Album First Page

Sorry for the long lapse in my crafting projects. I actually have a LOT of things to share, but my transcription work has been so busy lately that I haven't had time to take the photos, edit them, and think of text to post with them. This is the first page for a 12x12 baby album that my friends and I have been commissioned to do. The grandmother said that the parents-to-be love fishing and sports, so this was my way to incorporate the fishing aspect. The title for the page is going to be "He Caught Our Hearts" and it's going to be in white letters down at the bottom of the page. Delaina (one of the other Scrapjunkeez--the name of our craft show business) is going to cut the title for me on her Cricut to save a BUNCH of time. :) Sorry for the bad photo. The strip under the photo mat says NAME; DOB/TIME; WEIGHT/LENGTH. Thanks so much for looking!

Ava as Tinker Bell. :) I have some of the most gorgeous girls on the planet! :)

Raggedy Gracie

Gracie's Halloween costume photo shoot from today. :) What a cutie she is.

Finished Kitchen Pictures

These are AWFUL pictures, but here's the finished kitchen. The only thing I have left to do is make a matching valance like the one I have hanging over the sink for the little side door by the table. We are VERY happy with it and the pain in dealing with our house being torn up for two months was really worth it. We love the finished product. :)

PG Card For Bachelorette Party!

I have seen these all over SCS for probably a year or more and never really thought I would have any occasion to make one; however, last night's bachelorette party for my SIL (soon!) was the perfect opportunity. :) I kept it pretty simple since everything I do is simple, but I have seen some REALLY cute ones with lace, etc. added as well. This is just SU! Shimmer White cardstock embossed with my trusty Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder. I used Blush Blossom cardstock for the base. I punched an Elegant Eggplant flower out with the Boho Blossom punch, spritzed it with water, crumpled it, and rubbed it on the EE inkpad. A clear rhinestone finished it off. The attendees all loved it. :)

In LOVE with my new décor piece :)

We got it at Bed, Bath & Beyond while we were there looking for my BIL and soon-to-be SIL's registry items for their shower. If I had commissioned it for my kitchen, it could not be more perfect. I LOVE IT! :) I don't remember if I ever posted pictures of our finished kitchen on here. I will search and link it if so.

Welcome to the Wedded Bliss Club

Another shower card for my soon-to-be SIL. :) I actually totally forgot about making a card until about 20 minutes before I left and therefore had a lot of problems with the sentiment and had to do special things to fix a boo-boo. LOL! I originally had the sentiment stamped directly under the heart on the white piece, but it ended up slightly crooked and that drives me CRAZY, so I stamped the sentiment on the yellow strip, which smeared, then I tried stamping on the other side of the yellow strip and it was crooked again! I stamped the sentiment a fourth time, cut out the strip, and trimmed the ends as such. I actually think the yellow strip makes the card, so it was a happy accident. :) The only thing I am not too happy about is the fact that the yellow strip cuts off the very bottom point of the heart. Anyway, enough babbling about that--all supplies SU! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear them (unless they are bad)! :)

Still Making Hair Clips

I made this little hair clip to match Ava's shirt/shorts combination from Gymboree last weekend right before my soon-to-be SIL's wedding shower. I really actually need to take it apart and sew the button more in the center and then sew the whole thing onto an alligator clip, as I just have it sewn onto a metal snap barrette right at the moment. I thought it turned out really cute and the light green REALLY matches her shorts, which you of course cannot see in this picture because Ava never stands still. She was empty-handed when we came outside, but she collected the sippy cup, rubber bracelet, and orange in about 15 seconds. LOL! :) If anyone is interested in commissioning a felt hair clip, contact me and we can discuss details.

Quick Birthday Card

I had to make a card on Monday for my friend's baby girl Lilly, who just celebrated her first birthday. :) Everything's pretty self-explanatory, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Everything's by SU! except the tiny rhinestone on the flower by the bear's ear and the glitter gel pen I used on the flower and her shoes--Sakura Stardust, I believe. Thanks for looking and for any comments! :)

Shower Card

I made this card today for my soon-to-be Sister-in-Law, whose shower is this afternoon. It looks WAY better in person. :) I embossed the Shimmer White card base with my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, stamped the shimmer white "cake" pieces with my now-retired Paisley BG stamp, embossed with Iridescent Ice, and sponged Elegant Eggplant onto the pieces. I cut 1/8" strips of Elegant Eggplant cardstock and adhered them to the bottoms of each cake tier. Hero Arts pearls, the three heart punch from SU! and retired SU! white organza ribbon finished off the card. Thanks so much for looking and for any comments. :)

CAS Baby Boy Card

Just a quick share this morning, a baby boy card for my cousin, who is expecting her first baby next month. I CASED the basic design from THIS cute card from "susan." on SCS. I used VersaMark and embossed with Iridescent Ice embossing powder for the star on So Saffron cardstock. You couldn't really see the alphabet, so I sponged Pumpkin Pie ink all over the star and then punched it out with the SU! Large Star punch and I think the Pumpkin Pie added just the right amount of contrast to make it stand out without dominating the card. I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder on the white pieces, the scallop edge and 1 3/8" circle punch from SU! and finished it out with one of the new Sherbet buttons (which I LOVE)! I stamped the now retired Canvas BG stamp in Celery ink and the sentiment from Nursery Necessities with VersaMark, then embossed with an "ultra detail" white embossing powder since the lines on the font are so tiny. I really like this card and thanks for the inspiration Susan!

My Baby is Two!

It is really hard to get good pictures of Ava lately since she only stands still for approximately one second at a time. These were the best of the bunch. Her shirt and hair clips are from Gymboree. I bought the clips a couple of years ago for Gracie and that's one of the things I love about them...they use the same colors all the time so a lot of their hair accessories match from line to line. I haven't uploaded the party pictures yet, so I am sure I will post a few more after I do. I can't believe I have a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old! :) They are at really fun ages though since they can play together and really interact with each other.

Party Pictures

We have a party for Labor Day every year on Saturday night of the weekend, which just happens to coincide with our town's fair. Sean and I took some pictures of the girls right before the guests got there and we got some cute ones. Saturday was also Ava's second birthday, though we didn't celebrate her birthday until last night because of the Fair Party. Does that make us horrible parents? I have some pictures of Ava in her birthday gear that I will post in a minute...she looked ADORABLE!




Sean took this one when I was inside, finishing up with the party preparations. I really almost gasped when I saw the love on Gracie's face. This was the picture he snapped just a second later:





Okay then. I guess Ava wasn't in a loving mood, huh? :) I will leave you with this one. Can you tell they are holding hands? Warms a mother's heart. Awwwwwww........

:)

Better Beary Soon

I made this little card for the Cards for Kate drive that Jennifer McGuire is organizing for a little girl in Arizona who was just diagnosed a couple of months ago with brain cancer. It was the first time I inked up the Stampin' Up! Build-A-Bear sets in the Holiday Mini catalog (the bear set is called Beary Best Friends and the sentiment set is called Beary Nice Wishes). I think they are just adorable! I used my SAMJ to line the sentiment up in a square formation and then stamped the bear in the center and colored her in. A simple mat, brad, embossed heart, and button with linen thread finished off the look simply.

Supplies: (all SU!) Beary Best Friends, Beary Nice Wishes, and Canvas BG (retired) stamps; Ballet Blue, Old Olive, Rose Red, and Whisper White cardstock; Chocolate Chip, Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Rose Red, and Versamark ink; Cutter Kit, Playground Button, More Mustard Brad, Heart to Heart punch, 3/16" Corner Rounder punch, Crystal Clear Embossing Powder, Linen Thread.

One Little Baby

I made this quick, cute card today for our friends, who just had their second baby girl. :) It went together pretty quickly because I had the flowers made already and the leaves were already punched. The white card base was even cut to size and folded. I just cut a length of the dotted Swiss Bazzill, adhered everything on the card, and stamped the SU! Curvy Verses sentiment in Basic Gray SU! ink. The SU! Sizzix flowers have some added texture from tone-on-tone ink in Pink Pirhouette and Pretty in Pink that I dabbed on with the sponge daubers. The yellow center is Barely Banana stamped with a texture stamp that has been long retired from SU! (The Art of Life). The green rick-rack is a spool that I got from Michaels a long time ago. Thanks so much for looking and for any comments! :)

Look What I Made!

For Gracie's room--a mobile! :) I started on it last night and didn't have an embroidery hoop, which is what I was originally intending to use for the round apparatus to hang the fishing line from for the embellishments to dangle. I was walking around in the basement and came across this tiara and figured that would be PERFECT and it WAS! :) I used a bunch of different things for this mobile: Quickutz Revolution Monarch butterfly die for the butterflies (cut out of pink SU! patterned paper that is retired and Certainly Celery cardstock that I inked with some Technique Tuesday pigment ink for a brighter color), Sizzix die from SU! for the flowers (Pretty in Pink and Pink Pirhouette with Barely Banana centers stamped in So Saffron), Sizzix die for the hearts that I stamped with the big heart from the SU! Always set (cut out of Kiwi Kiss and inked in the same color), Prima tiny flowers and Darice rhinestones, and the SU! Small star punch (used Barely Banana for the cardstock). I love the way it turned out and Gracie does too, so that's all that matters. :)