Monday, December 31, 2012

Keep Calm & Carry On!!


I love blogging . . . about my kids!! I HATE blogging about my crafting!! All of my cards come from on-line blogs and Pinterest so they have ALL been written about somewhere else, most likely by the person who actually created them!! So, I will try to blog here more regularly, but I will post pictures primarily and very little commentary. If something is unique, I'll try to explain it, and if you have a question about something, please ask and I will definitely answer it. Sooooooo, on with the show!!

I saw this card on Pinterest and had absolutely no reason to make it until . . . my friend's son went to London for the week with his dad so I used that as my completely made-up reason to make this a "thinking of you" card!! It was surprisingly easy. The cross pieces are 1" (white) & .75" (red) and the Xs are .75" (white) & .5" (red). I have become OBSESSED with embossing lately - I embossed the crown with gold embossing powder. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!! Thanks for stopping by, especially you, Jane!!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Front Door Beauty

Here's another blog post, just to blow EVERYONE'S minds! I promise I can't keep up this pace for very long, so enjoy it while it lasts! It should go without saying that I find the inspiration for 99% on Pinterest, which I affectionately call crack for crafters!! If you haven't checked it out yet, go right now and be AMAZED at the amount of inspiration you'll find in one place!




Friday, December 28, 2012

Bloggus Interruptus

So a FRIEND of mine informed me today that she was tired of looking at the cards I've had on my blog since September and haven't updated, so HERE I AM, after an exhausting week, posting a card I made quite recently to appease said FRIEND!! I'm not really angry at you, Jane, but I'm afraid I don't have much to show for my blog hiatus. Hopefully, that will change in the near future . . . but please don't hold your breath!! That baby sure is keeping me busy!!

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Sharing in your sorrow

One of my former high school teachers had a death in her family recently, so I made her a card that I found on Pinterest using Papertrey Ink's Life set. I love the various stems in this set and I've seen so many beautiful cards made with it. My card uses a monochromatic palette, but this card would be equally lovely using a variety of colors. I layered a piece of embossed white cardstock onto the solid white base, which adds a bit of elegance to the card. The ribbon adds a finishing touch to the card so be sure you don't omit that little detail if you CASE it! Thanks for stopping by and have a great night!!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Sunflowers & a picket fence

I found this card on Pinterest a few months ago and fell completely in love with it! PTI's picket fence die is precious and easy to use. I lucked out and found the clouds & sky background paper at my local scrapbook store. A bit of stamping, a bit of die-cutting, bada bing, bada boom, a GREAT card! Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

The music of my heart . . . Pinterest!

Pinterest has once again proven to be an invaluable creative resource! I needed a special card for Bailey's music teacher, who we love, and since I'd already made the super-awesome xylophone card I found on Pinterest, I was afraid I wouldn't find anything else as cool. Boy, was I wrong! I searched for "music cards" and came up with an assortment of ideas, but this one was by far my favorite! It was very easy to make, but the result is fantastic! Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Thanks a Latte

I am completely obsessed with my new coffee cup stamp set and coordinating die from PTI! I made this card based on one I found on Pinterest for my parents to thank them for the Starbucks gift card they gave me for Mother's Day. Isn't it perfect?! If you've never used clear stamps and dies together before, be sure to cut out your shape first and them stamp it. I know this is counter-intuitive, but since you're using clear stamps, you can see exactly where to position your image. I have had such a great time cutting out lots of coffee cups and decorating them with different colors and patterns. The possibilities are endless! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!!

Isn't this the cutest card?! I found it on Pinterest and knew immediately that it would be perfect for Mother's Day! It is super simple! I stamped tiny flowers in a variety of colors using the smallest flower stamp I have and punched them out with my half-inch circle punch. Then, I adhered several to my card base in a free-form circle to give the bouquet shape. The flowers in the middle are adhered using dimensionals for depth. I kept placing them and adding more until I liked the look of the bouquet. I used my Martha Stewart fringe scissors to cut a few stems and then I tied a little bow that is attached on top of the stems. There was no way I could tie a little piece of ribbon around a tiny bundle of stems without losing my mind. And that's all there is to it! A sentiment on the front and a heartfelt message inside and you're good to go. Happy Mother's Day! Now, go make some cards!!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Embossing Madness

I have become obsessed lately with my embossing folders! They add the most amazing texture to paper projects and can be used on part of a focal point or the whole shebang! I personally like embossing the entire front of a card, layers and all, like this card that I found on Pinterest. I used Bailey's favorite colors and stamped "Dream Big" in Rich Razzleberry on another cute encouragement card for TCAPS. Boy, are we glad those are over! Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Best Wishes, Earthling!

If you haven't seen all of the adorable things you can make with Stampin' Up!'s owl punch, you should definitely check out this link and this link. These aliens are by far my favorite, though! I CASEd this card from one I found on Pinterest and gave it to Bailey last week during TCAPS. She said she liked it the best of all the ones I gave her! The googly eyes make these little guys awesome and also very versatile. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Papertrey Ink April Blog Hop

I'm hit or miss (mostly miss!) when it comes to blog hops, but when I saw the inspiration photo for Papertrey Ink's April Blog Hop, I knew I had the perfect paper and the perfect idea! This paper is AMAZING! It's Martha Stewart's Stitched 12x12 paper pack that I found at A.C. Moore the other day and it is simply fabulous! Several pieces feel like oilcloth and have a fantastic retro texture. The red and pale turquoise (perhaps Baja Blue?) with a splash of pink is a gorgeous color combo and it almost hurt to cut the strips for this card, but now that it's done, I can use it freely and at will!! I used PTI's Mixed Mega Messages stamp set for the sentiment. This is an awesome sentiment set with lots of possibilities - it's one of my go-to stamp sets. Thanks for stopping by - now go check out some more cards on the Hop!!

Monday, April 23, 2012

TCAP Encouragement Card!

                                                                                                                                                                  Tomorrow begins that dreaded 4-day period of the year called TCAPS!! My 5th grader tells me the letters stand for Torturing Children at Public Schools and I'm sure that's how it feels to the kids! They have been reviewing and reviewing and REVIEWING for weeks and this year, a new wrinkle - their TCAP scores count for 15% of their final grades. YUCK! I need to research whose bright idea that was! Some kids simply don't "test" well and I'm so thankful Bailey isn't one of those kids. Say a little prayer tomorrow for all the 3rd-5th graders in your area - they will feel it and appreciate it. But, I digress . . . every year, I put a card in Bailey's bag each day of TCAPS to encourage her and let her know how proud we are of her. She is majorly into rainbows these days so when I saw the inspiration for this card on Pinterest, I knew it would be perfect for her. Isn't it beautiful!?!?! I copied it exactly so I can write that!! It took a little while to scallop all those little strips of paper, but it was very simple to put together and might just be yet another way to use up all those paper scraps I know you have! This would make an AMAZING birthday card or a fun party invitation, if you didn't have to make too many! And you can use any colors you have. I started with a pad of PTI polka dot paper and then scrounged up the solids to match. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Butterscotch Birds.Nest Cookies

As my husband so lovingly pointed out last night, I am a bit of a showboat when it comes to cooking!! I love to try new recipes and I LOVE to make things that impress! So, when I was scouring Pinterest for Easter ideas a few weeks ago, I came across these adorable birds nest cookies that I wanted to make but that we could never eat all of. So, naturally, I signed up to bring them to a teacher appreciation lunch at my daughter's school!! They were super easy, surprisingly tasty, and cute as can be! I used butterscotch chips because I liked the color, but I have seen them done using chocolate and they are *almost* as cute! The eggs are Cadbury candy eggs, but you can also use jelly beans, Jordan almonds, or anything else that suits your fancy! So go make some - they're DE-LISH!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Another Pinterest Find

Tired of blogging - here's a card I made - hope you like it - y'all come back now, ya hear?!?!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Feeling a little buggy!!

I am completely and totally in love with this card!! It's another Pinterest find and probably one of my favorites. I created the cloudy sky using 3 scallops I cut using a punch that I then adhered together in a row. By using a sponge, Bashful Blue ink, and a very casual application process, I quickly & easily created a realistic-looking sky background! The original card used a tall grass stamp that I don't have, so I tried Upsy Daisy and was delighted to see that it worked. The bug is made of 5 scallops that have been folded in half and adhered together. The bug's head is half of a 1" circle of black cardstock, and the antenna are 2 mini black brads at the end of hand-drawn lines. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!! This is the card my stamping group will be making on Sunday - I sure hope they love it as much as I do! Have a great day!!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

You are my sunshine!

My time as a secret prayer partner for my confirmation friend is winding down - he'll be joining our church in two weeks. Creating cards for a boy has truly taxed my imagination but it's been fun to step out of my card-making comfort zone and try some new ideas! I saw the inspiration for this card on Pinterest and thought it would be perfect for him! And with the rain that's expected to blow through our town in the next several days, this might be the only sun he sees till next week! Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

One of a Kind Kid!

  • TCAPS are coming up next week so I'm making a few cards to put in Bailey's bag for encouragement. The teachers and kids are so freaked out over TCAPS and I'll be glad when they are OVER!! I found the inspiration for this card on, you guessed it, PINTEREST! I had to scrounge around to find the perfect sentiment. I love the finished product and I hope Bailey does, too! Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Birthday Candles

Another brilliant Pinterest find and another great use for those scraps!! I literally picked up the little pieces of patterned paper that were on my desk, cut them 1/2" wide and varying lengths and VOILA! A bunch of cute candles! I drew the wicks and flames with markers, but the original card used a punch - I think it's a bird's wing or something. Super simple and perfect for your kid's friend's birthday or your favorite aunt. Thanks for stopping by and have a GREAT week!!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Scraps, Scraps, & More Scraps!!

It's no secret that I am completely in love with cards that use paper scraps!! There are so many interesting ways to use them, but this one that I found on Pinterest takes all the guesswork out of putting together a card. I literally grabbed random packs of DSP from my stash and rummaged through them to find scraps of varying sizes. The only trimming I did was the ends. I laid them out on a piece of Kraft cardstock and added a couple of finishing touches. Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

More Pinterest Magic!

Oh, Pinterest, how I love you!! And how I spend so much time browsing your endless creative inspiration! Here's another beautiful card that I recently discovered and I just love the color and pattern combinations. I love the addition of the coordinating scallops at the bottom! Simply punch four circles from the same patterned paper as the strips. Easy and beautiful!! Have a great week!

Monday, April 9, 2012

Treat Yourself to Something Sweet

I think this card is so creative!! And I can say that because I found it on Pinterest and CASEd it completely!! It was a little tricky because the adhesive needs to be super sticky, but once I got into a twine-winding rhythm, I knocked it out fairly quickly! Don't be afraid to try something new - give twine a chance!!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Carrot Garland

Carrots galore!! I found this ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE carrot garland on Pinterest and I fell in love!! It is surprisingly easy to make. I have a scallop blade for my paper trimmer which saved me a step in the process. I tried using mono-filament to string the carrots, but I knew I'd never be able to space them, so I used green & white twine and it worked very well. Give this one a try! Thanks for stopping by!!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Gettin' inky with it!!

If you haven't used Inky Antics 3-D clear stamps and HoneyPOP paper, go now to your local Archiver's and drop some big bucks. There are several cute sets and the honeycomb paper is pretty easy to use if you have a minimal amount of patience (I don't!). I made this card for my confirmation class secret prayer partner based on the example card I found on the Inky Antics website. I love the little bunny cartwheeling across the top of the card!!
And here's the 3-D honeycomb carrot on the inside of the card. It needed to be trimmed a little closer on the right side, but I had already adhered it to the card and once your get Scor-Tape involved, there's no going back!! Note to self: cut INSIDE the stamped line! Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Not Quite 14 Carrots!

As is typical with most holidays, I have become mildly obsessed with the secular trappings of Easter this year. I have eaten more than my fair share of Cadbury Creme Eggs and have decorated with bunnies, plastic eggs, and a basket or two. I still have several projects I want to complete in the next few days, but I finished up these little carrots today and I am so proud of them! I found the idea on Pinterest and they are based on a sour cream container I learned to make years ago when I was with Stampin' Up! Although, I don't think I've actually seen sour cream in a container like this in a very long time!! The larger carrots are made using a piece of paper that's 5"x6" and the smaller ones are 4"x5." I have finally been persuaded to buy Scor-Tape and it truly is the BEST adhesive for these little boxes. Super sticky and easy to use because you can tear it. Finish the ends with a crimper and also crimp several pieces of green paper for the carrot tops and VOILA! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Music to our ears . . .

Bailey's chorus teacher, Ms. Beeler, is absolutely amazing!! Last week was the fifth grade music program and it was outstanding. The kids sang and danced and there was even a Purple People Eater! They sang songs from past decades, beginning with the 1920s and including current fave "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas (I know you're impressed I knew that!!). So, I wanted to make a super cute card for Ms. Beeler to thank her for being such a great influence on our kiddos! When I saw this card on Pinterest, I knew it would be the PERFECT card for her. It was a cinch to make - can you believe you use a 1 1/4 inch circle punch to round the xylophone parts? Thanks for stopping by and have a great spring break!!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Ribbon Flower Beauty

I absolutely LOVE this card!! A friend of mine pinned this card on Pinterest (the new crack!!) and I couldn't wait to CASE it. Luckily, the girl who made it originally also posted a tutorial on how to make the ribbon flowers! Such a thoughtful girl! I'm still mastering my technique and sadly, my first attempt was a lot better than my second, but I'm getting there and it sure is fun trying! Sadly, I'm now out of saddle-stitch ribbon . . . :( Thanks for stopping by!!