Christmas Baking

So, as you have probably noticed, my paper crafting has dwindled significantly since Miss Morgan was born, but my baking has definitely taken off!! I think I have been channeling Martha Stewart and have found some delicious recipes to make and share this Christmas! Yesterday, I made pecan sandies, caramel chocolate cookie bars, Oreo truffles, & mini caramel tarts, and I had already made buckeye bars & orange balls. Bailey made the reindeer cookies and they are fun and yummy, too! I am in the process of making bacon grits fritters that I found in this month's "Southern Living" Magazine that are absolutely to die for! Of course, yesterday was a snow day, so Miss Bailey was home all day, which turned out to be a tremendous help to me. But I was totally pooped by the end of the day and was looking forward to a quiet evening and early bedtimes when Bailey dislocated her knee!! It was horrendous! Had Chris not been here, I know I would've passed out! Thankfully, Chris was able to pop her knee back into place and after a while, she calmed down enough to take an ibuprofen. She was so scared and I know it hurt terribly. She's doing better today and will probably go to school once Chris gets home and wraps her knee. Add to this, Morgan screaming her little lungs out last night and I was starting to wish that I was a drinking woman!! Today seems to have started off a little more calmly and I'm definitely not going to get into any baking projects today so I'm hopeful for a better day!

Halloween Tags

Believe it or not, I made a couple of loaves of pumpkin gingerbread for 2 of Bailey's teachers so, naturally, I needed a cute tag to go with them!! I found the inspiration for this tag on one of the PTI's design team member's blogs (can't remember which one!). I couldn't believe I had the stamps to recreate this project! The tag was super simple to make and I love the way it turned out - I think the teachers will, too! Have a wonderful week!!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!!

OMGosh!!! I cannot believe it's been an entire MONTH since I made ANYTHING out of paper!! It's a good thing I made so many baby thank you notes before Morgan was born or I never would've had any to send. So, Morgan was born on September 16, and she is doing wonderfully well! In fact, we celebrated her one-month birthday today with a cake and a little party at my parents' house. So much fun! Then, Chris took the girls to see his dad so I had a bit of crafting time ALL BY MYSELF! I still can't believe it! I broke out my new owl punch and combined two craft projects I found on-line. One was a cute treat box by Angie Juda and the other was this adorable card I found on SCS. I LOVE my Martha Stewart fence punch, but it is a bear to cut cardstock with! I've prepped several of these to fill with Halloween candy for Bailey's teachers. I am so thrilled that I actually have the mojo to make these little gifts! I sure didn't have any mojo while I was pregnant :D I hope to post another project in a day or two, so come back soon!!

Another Baby Thank You Note

I found this cute card on Splitcoaststampers and I don't even remember what I was looking for! This card turned out to be a cute baby thank you note - I love the sweet little button flower! Luckily, I've written all my thank you notes because tomorrow is the big day! It's hard to believe that almost 10 months of mental and physical preparation have all led up to tomorrow's C-section. I am nervous and excited and about 100 other emotions, but I am trying to focus on the fact that by this time tomorrow, we will have our sweet little baby girl! What a wonderful blessing!!

Happy Birthday, Grandmama!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, blog friends! I have been feverishly working to update Bailey's scrapbook so I'll be ready to start Morgan's when she arrives this week! I have gotten so much done but, unfortunately, my 12x12 layouts are very hard to photograph and post here. Today, I made this card for Chris's grandmother who is turning 90 soon. The family is celebrating with a party tomorrow, but we won't get to go since it's 3.5 hours away and I can't travel that far. I really hope she likes her card, though! I love the way it turned out! I was inspired by none other than my favorite blog, Me, My Stamps and I. Do you ever feel like your traditional half-sheet cards don't really convey your feelings or the importance of an occasion? I do, so for Grandmama's special day, I decided to use a full 8.5x11 sheet of cardstock as my base. I also used my scallop circle Nestabilities which helped me keep the entire card proportioned. Nothing looks worse on a big card than a tiny focal point!! Can you believe the flowers came from SU!'s "Heartfelt Thanks?" I have had that set for years and it is one I turn to again and again. I'm so glad I've kept it all this time. Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!!

Feelin' Froggy

I LOVE paper punched animals! It is so cool to see how those punches that hang on your wall every day can work together to create something so cute!! Bailey's third grade teacher last year loved frogs so I included this card I made a while ago with her photo calendar that I finally finished! I always make a scrapbook or something similar for Bailey's teacher's end-of-year gift, but this year, I was a little late. My multitasking skills have really taken a hit with this pregnancy! Anyway, this year, I did a Shutterfly calendar that she can use this year with pictures from last year's class. I LOVE this idea and it's so easy - much easier than making a scrapbook! I hope she likes it. Have a great day!

A Male SU! Demonstrator? It's True!!!

Not only does Mary Fish create beautiful projects for her blog, she features beautiful projects created by other stampers, too! I really like this project by Jason Casper and it was a cinch to CASE. I LOVE using a variety of embossing folders on a single project - they're just so much fun!! Check out Jason's blog here for more inspiration!! Have a great week!

Bugs & Kisses

Isn't this the cutest little ladybug card you've ever seen?!?! My dear friend, Leigh Ann's daughter, Regan, is really into ladybugs, so I couldn't resist making this card for her 10th birthday. I wanted something a little different, so I went to SCS to see what all you other crafty creators are making. I knew as soon as I saw this adorable 3-D ladybug that is was the perfect card for Regan, and it was super simple to make. The ladybug only requires 3 punched scallop circles that I folded in half and adhered together. I drew the spots on with a Sharpie, and I used a 3/4" circle punch for the head. After using my Labels 4 Nestabilities to cut out the white piece of cardstock, I left the template in place and sponged on Bashful Blue ink for a bit of contrast. I love how easy it is to make nice even layers with Nestabilities. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Delightful & Delicious

I'm pretty sure I posted this card a long time ago, but it's one I did for my stamp club last week and I really love all the layers and Starbucks-inspired details! This set by Verve is called Delightful & Delicious, and it's the best coffee set I've seen. The link above takes you to the SCS gallery for the set and lots more inspiration. I can't wait to check it out! Have a great week!

Simply Sent Card Set

Isn't this the cutest set of cards? You'll never guess where I found the inspiration? That's right My very favorite blog!! I think this set would make a great hostess gift or teacher gift. I happen to have some 4.25" square envelopes so I was able to make these cards 4" square. Thanks for stopping by and stay cool!

Teacher Gifts are DONE!!

I am beyond thrilled that I have finished the beginning-of-the-year gifts I made for some of Bailey's teachers and school staff, especially since school starts on Tuesday!! I found this idea on SCS and loved it immediately. Sadly, Bath & Body Works didn't have these bottles of apple-scented hand sanitizer so I went with White Citrus because it's green! They were at awesome deal at $3 each! I made tags using Nestabilities Labels 4 and attached them to little bags of chocolate. What could be better than something sweet and something practical!! I LOVE the red and green ribbons together - I don't think it looks too Christmasy, do you? I found a TON of great ribbon in my ribbon drawer when I was looking for ribbon for this project. I had to get another wooden rod and clear out another basket to organize it all in! It's almost like finding buried treasure! See you again soon!!

Footprints in the Sand

One of my local scrapbook stores recently went out of business, but before they did, they had a fantastic sale that I just couldn't pass up! I found some beautiful paper, a pack of Thickers, an adorable baby's first year calendar, and this rubber stamp with the end of Footprints in the Sand. I have always loved and found comfort in this story. I made this card for a family friend who had surgery today and I love the way it turned out. I lucked out when I found such pretty trim in my ribbon drawer that matched this paper pack. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

I promise this is the last one!!

Same song, third verse. Not much more to say about this design except that this card is for one of my Bunko buddies who just announced she's pregnant!! I'm really beginning to think that there's something in the water around here! Thanks for stopping by - I promise to show a little more variety in the next few days!

More Baby Thank You Cards

I'm on a roll making thank you cards and I really love this one that I found on SCS. I recently bought an argyle embossing folder that I absolutely LOVE for baby cards. The sweet little bear doesn't need much to look great! I raided all my PTI pink buttons and was able to finish several cards. I can't wait to send them to my friends. Thanks for stopping by!

Shake, Rattle, & Roll

Who knew that Chat's beautiful post from a few days ago would prove to be so versatile? After my first baby shower on Tuesday, I started thinking about an amazing thank you note I could make for my stamping friends, and it occurred to me that this beautiful flower might make an adorable baby rattle! And I LOVE how it turned out!! I made 21 of these beauties today, in between doing laundry and cleaning out Bailey's disaster of a closet! I can't wait to send them to my friends - I hope they're impressed! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!

More Inspiration from Chat

OMGosh! I am LOVING this card from Chat on her Me, My Stamps and I blog!! This is truly my very favorite blog and I have CASEd many of her beautiful projects. I couldn't pass this one up and luckily, I had some pretty new PTI paper to use. It was so much easier to create than I thought. I first punched out the scalloped circle and then worked the tab punched pieces around it by keeping their edges near the circle's edge. I had a little space left over, so I cut one tabbed piece in half and worked it right in. Piece of cake!! I used my new argyle embossing folder (LOVE IT!!) and a pretty little rhinestone brad to finish it off. I cannot wait to make more these lovely flowers! Have a wonderful day!!

Inspired by Stamp and Smile

Hey, there! Check out these CUTE cardsI saw on Michelle Yungbauer's blog, Stamp and Smile! I have seen a couple of cards that use the wing from SU!'s Two-Step Bird Punch to make flowers, but I am so dumb and didn't realize until I had already made my card that it was the SMALLER wing that's used - not the entire bird!!! Anyway, I borrowed the punch from my friend, Mary Ann's mom, Jane, and punched out a ton of birds AND wings, & I'm going to use every last one of them! I think these flowers look a bit like bearded tulips and I LOVE the colors on this card - Poppy Parade, Peach Parfait, and Daffodil Delight. I think that might be my new go-to color palette! Thanks for stopping by!!

More from the Aviary

I am lovin' this set! It could be my new "Branch Out" but I'm not certain of that yet!! I found my next inspiration from Stampin' Connection on the SU! website. I just love the stacked bird cages! I made this card for a family friend who's just gotten some scary medical news. I hope that these colorful little birds will cheer her up and let her know she's in my prayers. Have a great day!!

Lovin' Those Birds!

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new stamp set from SU! called "Aviary" and it finally arrived!! I have made fun of all the birds SU! has come out with in recent years, so it's a little ironic to me that I fell so in love with this set. My first card with the set is inspired by this on that I found on SCS. In addition to the stamp set, I also got the new In Color markers & cardstock, Sunny Garden DSP (GORGEOUS!!), and Daffodil Delight CS, marker, & ribbon. I really like the new colors, especially Poppy Parade! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

Inspired by Ashley Marostica

So, I'm finally starting to get into making baby girl cards, although I really need to start making thank you notes, but this won't be my note because it's a little too involved. But, don't you love that sweet little pea in the pod? This may be Morgan's first Halloween costume! It's always been my favorite. And Bailey can be the farmer and carry her in a basket! We've really given this a lot of thought. Anyway, back to the card - it was inspired by this blog and, since I didn't have the sentiment stamp, I wrote it myself which miraculously worked out! Thanks for stopping by - I hope to be back on a roll now!

Inspired by Annie B

This is the card my stamping buddy, Annie B, had for us to make last week. I really love the layout and can't wait to use it again. The paper is PTI's Green Tea Leaves and I love how it looks paired with the chocolate dots. And how cute is that tea cup?!? Another PTI creation! After making this card, I bought Nestabilities Labels 4 to use with the ovals I already have to duplicate this focal point. Simple and beautiful - my fave!

MIA

Sorry to have been MIA this week! I have been working on Bailey's scrapbook so it will be current by the time Morgan arrives. I would LOVE to post some of my better pages here, but I have a terrible time taking good photos of 12x12 pages, so you may just have to take my word that I have been busy crafting! I hope to post some cards tomorrow, so check back soon!!

Using Up Scraps, part 3

I'm trying very hard to catch up on my card-making and find a bit of mojo, so I started with this card by Dawn McVey. It's another one of those great cards that used up scraps. Dawn sewed on her card and I may have to add some hand-stitching to mine, too, to emphasize the scalloped Kiwi Kiss strip I used. The hardest part of this card is picking out which beautiful DSP to use - it has lots of possibilities and goes together quickly. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

Using Up Scraps, part 2

What do you think of this cute card?!? I found it on Jeni Allen's blog, My Stampin' Spot, which is one of the blogs I stalk regularly! Just another GREAT way to use up some of those paper scraps we've all got! I used my 1" and 1.25" circle punches - super simple! Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Addictive Personality 101

I have an addictive personality. It's true. You can tell by the number of Starbucks I drink, the amount of scrapbooking supplies I own, and the devotion with which I follow Vera Bradley patterns! So, when I find a card sketch that I love and can implement, I use it to death. I think this might be THAT sketch!! I was a litle overdue to make a new baby card so I dug out some blue-hued papers, cut 4 strips, added a button and some ribbon and . . . well, you know the rest!!

Using Up Scraps

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE cards that utilize some of the millions of little pieces of paper I have floating all over my craft room!! When I saw this card on Becky Roberts' Inking Idaho blog, I knew it was one I had to save for future use!! And now, almost 4 months later, I have finally used her inspiration. The card is super quick to make - the paper strips are 1" x 4" and I attached them to the front of the card and then adhered the scalloped piece over them. A sentiment and a little ribbon and VOILA! A beautiful project! Hope you'll try it!