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!!

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!!

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!

Another Pinterest Find

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

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!!

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!

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!
  

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!!

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!

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!

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!!

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!!

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!

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!