Simply Stunning!

Do you ever find yourself wishing you could make simple but stunning cards ("Simply Stunning" - could be the name of a new class!)? Your first blog-stop should be Angie Juda's blog, Chic 'n' Scratch. It's so freaking amazing!! I find inspiration there every single day! So often the cards I find on the many websites I peruse are just too hard to duplicate or too time-consuming to make several of. That's why this card is a new favorite - I made six of them in no time! I left the front of four of them free of a sentiment so I can fill it in as needed. I think it is the perfect all-occasion card, for guys or girls! I'm just so excited! You should see me do my happy dance! Check out Angie's blog as soon as you can - it's the best!!!

Carousel Note Card - so beautiful!!

I found yet another amazing card on Angie Kennedy Juda's blog. What a great new way to use those FABULOUS Carousel Notes. And what could be prettier than Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip? Add a little rub-on and you have a beautifully simple, all-occasion card. "Beautifully Simple" may just be the name of a new class I could do!! So many possibilities!

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #53

Believe it or not, this is the first time I have done one of Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenges! Last week's was so pretty and I meant to do it (you know how that goes . . .), but I never got around to it. So, this week, I was determined to make it happen! You can see the sketch here - it's a nice one. I love tall cards!! I was only able to use the paper from this group by The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby) because NONE of my SU! cardstock matched! Can you believe it?!?! But I used two Cuttlebug embossing folders (aren't you jealous I have the Swiss Dots one? Thanks, Cele!!) and my crimper to make the circle behind my flower look like a Wavy Lays potato chip! I also used Stickles on the flower. Gotta go clean house - company's coming tomorrow!

I JUST LOVE RAKs (random acts of kindness)

I just love getting pretty things!! My sweet friend and SU! downline, Leigh Ann, made me this most beautiful mini corkboard! The scan doesn't do it justice. Sadly, my digital camera is in the shop right now, but when I get it back, I will post a better picture. Thank you so much, Leigh Ann!! I LOVE IT!!!

HO-LY COW!!!!

OK, so I went to West Knoxville today to buy our new dining room table (YEA!!!) and saw that next to The Cupcakery there is going to be . . . (***drum roll***) . . . Lilly's Bead Box!! I screamed out loud! Can you imagine the absolute BLISS of making a bracelet and then going next door to eat a cupcake?!?!? So, when school starts, don't be surprised if I'm out West A LOT!! Let's just hope gas prices go down by then . . . and that one of those places has Wi-Fi!!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

Sadly, a friend send me this picture of beautiful lampwork earrings. I didn't make any of them!!

Fall Preview event going on now at Vera Bradley

OMGosh!!! I finally went to Silver & Threads on Wednesday night to check out the new Vera Bradley patterns for Fall 2008 and to register for the tote bag VB is giving away. They are absolutely lovely! From left to right, there's Night Owl, Cafe Latte, Puccini, and Frankly Scarlet. Of course, I like the name, Cafe Latte, but I really like Frankly Scarlet, too. I have read that there is going to be another pattern called Mediterranean that's blue & white, but I don't have any details. It's going to be a hard choice, but I am definitely up for the challenge!!

Stampin' Up! Announces Retirement List

It's that time of year again when SU! announces all of the stamp sets that are retiring to make room for ALL THE NEW STAMP SETS that are coming out in August. While it's sad to see our old favorites go (good-bye, Print Pattern, *sniff, sniff *), it is SO EXCITING when the new catalog is REVEALED!! You can see what stamp sets you'll want to get before they're gone by clicking here or going to http://www.stampinup.com/. Take advantage of these lazy summer days (yeah, right!!) to book a workshop and get your favorite retiring sets FREE.

A little bite of Heaven in Knoxvegas . . .

OMGosh!! If you haven't tried the newly-opened Cupcakery in Bearden, you need to get on it - NOW!! It is phenomenal!! The best cupcake is the Red Velvet, which is simply heavenly with a cloud of cream cheese frosting on top. Sinful and delicious!! The Grasshopper is also out of this world. What could be better than chocolate and mint?! Check it out. Seriously, go right now!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

When you see a card or other paper item in the stores, do you ever find yourself thinking, "I can make that?" Sadly, I find myself thinking this A LOT, but I don't always follow through! But this time, I was determined to re-create the cute Father's Day grill card I saw at Target! I'm pretty impressed by how it turned out, too. I hope you get to celebrate Father's Day with the men you love just like I do!!

Liza Moz is my new favorite place!

If you need something different to do with your kids this summer that's super cool and fun, check out Liza Moz at either mall in Knoxville. It's one of those neat places where you paint your own pottery pieces. That's always seemed intimidating to me because, while I can create just about anything from paper, I have always been afraid of paint! I know, it's an irrational fear! But when Bailey & I went to Liza Moz one rainy day, I immediately fell in love with the whole process, from choosing a piece to paint, then the colors, and then how to put it all together. Luckily, I found a beautiful coffee mug that someone else had made that I used as my inspiration. Never be afraid to get your ideas from other people's ideas!! Put your own personal spin on a project to make it your own! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how my mug turned out!! The best part is that the design around the top of the coffee mug was made using a stamp!! "These are a few of my favorite things . . ."

When you care enough to give the very best!

OMGosh! I am totally and completely in love with the entire line of JustRite Stampers products! My order arrived while Chris and I were in Asheville, but I have had a little time to use it since we got back and I am thrilled with the results!! One of the first-grade teachers at Bailey's school is getting married soon and Bailey wanted to give her a gift, so what better way to break in my monogram stamps than by making some beautiful note cards with her new monogram!! OK, I may not be able to give these away!! I am so in love with chocolate brown and Bashful Blue - it's such a classic color combination that will never let you down! And if you've ever had trouble getting a good imprint from a detailed background stamp, I found that when I made these cards, using StazOn ink worked better than SU! Classic or Craft Stampin' Pads. I just love it when an idea comes together!!

Happy Anniversary!

I found this beautiful card by darleenstamps on SCS and, while hers is more polished and detailed, I am happy with the way mine turned out!! This is a square card (5 1/2 inches); the stamp set I used is Fabulous Flowers by SU!; the ribbon is from Hobby Lobby; the Swirls embossing folder is by Cuttlebug; and I printed the sentiment from my computer. Have a great weekend!!!

All you need is love . . .

Well, friends, I have another new love of my life!
I am a little fickle! My stamping buddy (& enabler), Cele, let me borrow her JustRight Round Monogram Stamper while she's on vacation and after creating just one set of cards, I am HOOKED!! I found this design on Sharon Johnson's blog and thought it was amazing! I used SU!'s Paisley BG Stamp stamped in black craft ink on Basic Grey CS, which I then embossed in Crystal Clear Embossing Powder.I just LOVE the texture! And there is truly no limit to what you can create with the Monogram Stamper - I hope to post more projects this week!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!

It occurred to me earlier in the day that I would like to create a patriotic card for Memorial Day, but I have a very hard time putting together primary colors. So, when I found this card on stampingsherrie's blog, I thought it would be PERFECT to do in Real Red and Night of Navy. And I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Stampin' Up!'s Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware from the Occasions Mini Catalog (star brads). Wouldn't this be a wonderful card to send to a soldier you know? Or even one you don't know! So, even though Memorial Day only has about 2 1/2 hours left, take a moment to pray for our troops in the Middle East and, if you know someone who is serving in the military, make this card right now and send it to them so they will know how much they are loved and appreciated!! Have a great week!!

My First Featured Stamper Challenge

This week's Featured Stamper on SCS is Dawnsing (Dawn McVey) and, since I have never done the Featured Stamper Challenge, I decided to give it a whirl. My stamping buddy, Leigh Ann, has inspired me with her amazing blog (check it out)! So, this is Dawn's card that I reworked. It took me FOREVER to do - I'm not sure why. Oh, well! I LOVE the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, especially the frame and flower brads I used on this card. As always, thanks to all those talented people who post on SCS for their inspiration!!! Have a great holiday weekend!!

If the Halo Fits . . .

This card was totally CASEd from Diane Gilbert's card on SCS. I thought it was such a sweet, Spring-y card! I don't have this set, "If the Halo Fits," but I had stamped the angel image at a demonstrator meeting and just had to use it for this card. Plus, I FINALLY got SU!'s photo corner punch and it's AWESOME, of course! I think I'll send this card to Bailey's first-grade teacher. Bailey had such a great year and we ABSOLUTELY LOVE Mrs. Bilbrey!! Thanks for the inspiration, Diane!

I made this cute composition book for my dear friend, Cele, for her birthday and she LOVED it! Of course, I got the idea from Angie Juda's blog - she has the BEST ideas!! And her video tutorial for this project is so easy to follow - just what I like! The Berry Bliss DSP and Purely Pomegranate satin ribbon are just so delicious!! Thanks for looking!

I LOVE CUPCAKES!!

Tonight was Bailey's soccer party, so I made yummy devil's food cupcakes and cute little picks to go on them! Yes, that's frosting on top - note to self: Fluffy White frosting doesn't spread at all! (Stick to vanilla.) They are super easy to customize and quick as can be! I found the soccer ball in my clip art file and simply sized it to fit my 1 1/4 inch circle punch and layered in on a black scallop circle. Sandwich a toothpick between two scallops using a glue dot or sticky strip and voila! A deliciously fun treat!!

A NEW LOVE . . .

Friends, I have found a new love! No, it's not Jeffrey Donovan (if you don't know who he his, watch "Burn Notice" on USA - YUM!!) or a new flavor of Frappuccino. It's SU's Schoolbook Serif Alphabet, which I just discovered even though the Spring Summer Collection has been out for MONTHS!!!! I used it to do the title for this scrapbook page and it was SO EASY!! Usually, alphabet stamps can be tricky to line up, but this one is a cinch! Also, I found a cool card sketch on Michelle Wooderson's blog (Mish Mash) that is AMAZING on scrapbook pages and, again, SO EASY! I used two patterns of paper and cut them into 3 x 6 inch pieces and lined them up along the bottom of a solid piece of 12 x 12 cardstock. You can use as many patterns as you like - just adjust the sizes accordingly. How neat is that? I may get caught up on my scrapbooking after all . . .

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I'm not sure why I've neglected my cyberpals! This is a fabulous Double-Pocket Card that I found on SCS. Pair this great design with SU!'s beautiful Summer Picnic Paper and gorgeous ribbon and it's a show-stopper! Hope you like! I'll try to do better about posting this week!