With Deepest Sympathy

The inspiration for this card came from a swap I got from Jennifer Maguire at an SU! Regional several years ago and I think it is stunning! I especially love the glitter!! I traced the letters and flowers with my two-way glue pen and then sprinkled on Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. Super simple and absolutely gorgeous! This is a sympathy card for a dear friend of mine and her husband. My friend's father passed away on Sunday morning and on Sunday evening, her mother-in-law passed away. I hope my card bring them comfort during this difficult time. Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you're enjoying the beautiful sunshine where you are!!

So Lucky!!

Well, I'm a little late posting my one and only St. Patrick's Day card, but here it is! I found the inspiration for this card on Jeni Allen's blog and loved it so much! My ribbon is a little crazy-crooked, but I love the way the pleated paper and crinkly flower turned out. I picked up a give-away book at our local used bookstore for punching out flower pieces. I'm not usually one to deface books, but I love pulling those pages out and turning them into something different!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!! Hope it's going to be warm where you are!!

In Memory of Sydney

There's a little girl in third grade with my daughter who recently lost her 5-year battle with neuroblastoma. The family is completely devastated and I wanted to send them a card to let them know how much we care. I found this card on SCS and thought it would make a perfect sympathy card for this sweet family. Thanks for stopping by!

Another Beautiful Baby Card

Here's another lovely creation from my friend, Leigh Ann! She used that wonderful Baby Button Bits stamp set that I am anxiously "expecting" (should be here this week!!) I can't wait to get my hands on that set and create some beautiful baby projects!! Thanks for stopping by!

With a Cherry on Top!

Check out this BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL card that my talented friend, Leigh Ann, gave me for my birthday!! She used Papertrey's Baby Button Bits stamp set (which I just ordered for me!!) and I just love her color scheme - turquoise, chocolate brown, and pink! And look at that awesome button that's the cherry on top of the cupcake!! I just want to eat it! Thanks for stopping by and have a glorious weekend (and don't forget to "Spring Forward" tonight - yuck!!).

Happy Mother's Day!

My talented friend, Jane, had this beautiful card for us to make at our most recent Tuesday Night Stamp Group and I LOVE IT!! How awesome is it that SU!'s tag punches, along with the Modern Label Punch, can be used to look like the paper has been wrapped around the card, but it's so much easier!! I can't wait to make more cards like this one. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!!

For the Love of Butterflies!

Here's another beautiful card I found on a recent blog stalk of Heather Summers' blog. So Springy and happy and cheerful!! And since I've caught a raging case of Spring Fever, I decided to make one of my very own and share it with my Tuesday night stamping group. So go find some butterflies (paper ones, of course!) and start making beautiful Spring cards of your own!!

A Taste of Spring!

There is finally hope that spring will eventually come to TN and I am so thankful!! We've had a couple of days of 60 degree temps and it has been glorious, so I broke out some pastel CS and inks and have been busy creating. I found a link to this beautiful card on the Poppy Paperie blog and I fell in love!! I didn't have any of the PTI colors used to make the card, but my friend, Leigh Ann, told me what SU! colors match the PTI colors. I used Perfect Plum, Certainly Celery, and Bashful Blue. And look at all those scallops!! I LOVE Papertrey's "Life" set and I can't wait to make more cards like this one in different colors. Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening!!

Inspired by Jen Tapler

I am so completely in love with this card by Jen Tapler that I saw on Splitcoaststampers!! I copied it completely and was thrilled that I had buttons to match the colors I used. I pulled out SU!'s retired color, Wild Wasabi (still a fave!), and paired it with Papertrey Ink's Berry Sorbet and Summer Sunrise designer paper. It's such a simple design, but one that could easily be used on cards for any occasion. Thanks for the inspiration, Jen!!

Our New Niece Arrived This Week!!

Our precious niece, Eliza, arrived this week, and she is so beautiful!! We can't wait to see her in a few weeks!!! I received a card like this one from my sweet friend, Alice, and I couldn't wait to make one for Eliza's parents, Greg & Rebekah. I am so glad I kept this adorable SU! set, Very Punny, from several years ago, and I can't wait to make more of these sweet piggy cards!!

Babies, Babies Everywhere!

I am so sorry I've been such a delinquent!! Our computer died and it's been at the shop awhile. Is this not the CUTEST baby gift you've ever seen!?!?!? I found this idea on the blog, Stamps Alot, and couldn't wait to make it for a friend who just had her third child, but her first little girl!! If you haven't checked out the baby clothes at Target lately, you are truly missing out! I found a set of three of the cutest onesies I've ever seen for only $8! I cut the set apart and folded each onesie several times till it was pretty narrow. Then I rolled them in a little coil and wrapped them in cellophane bags and tied them with ribbon. Don't they look like little lollipops? I bought 8-inch Wilton sticks and stuck them behind the onesie in the bag. The container is a clear paint can - if you cut the paper correctly, you can just slip it into the little grooves and you don't need adhesive! I tied several pieces of ribbon on the handle and made a coordinating gift card and VOILA!! The most awesome baby gift ever!! Thanks for stopping by!

Same Song, Second Verse!

I totally LOVE this layout by Dawn McVey and how cool is it that on Papertrey Lady Nichole Heady's blog last week, there were several PTI color combinations (you'll have to scroll down a bit) that are just FANTASTIC!! Takes all the guesswork out of creating cards! For this card, I used Ocean Tides, Spring Moss, and Dark Chocolate. I made this card for my friend, Rebekah, who took me out to lunch last week to celebrate my pregnancy! It was such a treat and a nice surprise. We had a great time at Brixx - if you've never been there, go right now and get the Hawaiian Pizza. It's DE-LISH!! Have a great weekend and come back in a day or two to see the cutest baby gift ever!!

Thanks, Alli!!

Since I haven't made anything in a few days, I thought I'd show you this ADORABLE card my friend, Alli, made me for my birthday! Isn't it the cutest?!?! I can't wait to CASE it and since we have a little one on the way, it looks like I'll be getting back into Sesame Street and can make all the furry creatures I want!! Thanks for the inspiration, Alli!! Have a great weekend!!

Masculine Birthday Card

Well, I'm just 8.5 short weeks into my pregnancy and I can already tell that my crafting mojo is going to be hit or miss for a few weeks!! Some days, I can't wait to make something, and then other days (or several days in a row), I can't even bear to go into my craft room!! So today, when I felt a little mojo coming on, I ran into the craft room and made this card. I needed a simple, masculine card, and I like the way this one turned out! I haven't used Branching Out in awhile, even though it's still one of my all-time favorite SU! sets, so I dusted it off today. Very simple color palette but a nice result. Thanks for stopping by on this cold, cold day!!

Inspired by Dawn McVey . . . Again!!

I just love this card of Dawn's and couldn't wait to make it for some friends of mine who are in the process of adopting a precious little 16-month-old girl. They are so excited, of course!! And I was super excited that my card turned out so well!! Usually, when I CASE Dawn, I am less than impressed, but this one came together beautifully and I am delighted! Have a great week and enjoy this day off if you have it!!

Here's the reveal . . .

Well, I've alluded to some big news in my recent posts and here it is . . . I'M PREGNANT!! We found out the day before my birthday and we are so excited!! Chris has wanted another child since, um, Bailey was born 9 years ago, so he is beyond over the moon!! And Bailey can't wait to be a big sister! She's already making BIG plans for this baby!! So, this card sort of represents our little family - mom and dad hearts (big), Bailey heart (smaller), and our baby's heart (tiny and red). I know it's not an artistic masterpiece, but to me, it's perfect!! Keep up in your prayers for the next 7 months!! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

Sweets for Your Sweetie!!

For some reason, teacher gifts always baffle me even though I have enough paper, stamps, and embellishments to make nearly anything related to paper!! I have seen a few CUTE ideas on-line, but was completely sold on this idea that my friend, Christa, made for our Circle bake sale last Sunday!! Her delectable cakes are made from scratch, but I had to go with what I know, so I made mini Chocolate Covered Cherry Bundt cakes! If you don't own the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook, you must buy it because it contains some of the best cakes I've ever tasted, and they are super-simple, so they're recipes you'll turn to again and again!! Anyway, Christa packaged her little cakes in these adorable boxes that she found at the $1 store so, of course, I had to get some, too! I cannot wait for Bailey to give these to her teachers and staff on Friday! I sure hope they find them as "sweet" as I do!!

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY CAKE

Combine a box of Devil's Food cake mix, 1 can of cherry pie filling, 1 tsp. almond extract, and 2 eggs first on low speed for 1 minute and then on medium speed for 2 minutes - batter will be thick - pour into greased mini Bundt pans, filling about half-full, and bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes - allow to cool in the pan - frost with prepared chocolate frosting that has been heated to a pouring consistency in the microwave (the original recipe calls for the cake to be baked in a 9x13 pan for 30-35 minutes and has an additional recipe for the chocolate frosting - you can also bake in a full-size Bundt pan for 45 minutes).

Inspired by Connie & Julie

This is my most favorite Valentine that I have found this year on the blogs I stalk! I don't have the heart-shaped Nesties that were used to make the card, but I lucked out when we went to visit our relatives in West Virginia a few weeks ago. My SIL and I went to a crop, and the hostess had EVERYTHING I needed to make this card, including the mini envelope die!! I was so excited! It was so much fun to mix all of these red and pink patterned hearts - there's really no right or wrong way to do it in my opinion! This card is for my sweet parents - hope they like it!! Have a great weekend and remember all the sweeties in your life on Valentine's Day!!

Origami Box

I made this cute little note pad holder awhile back but wanted to post it today to take part in today's Papertrey Ink contest. They are having some great contests this week with some amazing prizes, so I had to get in on it!! This is such a simple project that is perfect for teacher gifts or hostess gifts. I know I would like to receive one!! Thanks for stopping by today and have a great weekend!!

Harriet ROCKS!!

This is another beautiful card from the Tuesday Night Stamp Group! Ms. Harriet really outdid herself this time - we all had such fun "antiquing" every element of this project to make it look aged. I have really got to get some Ranger distressing inks now that I've used them - they are fantastic! I haven't yet decided who the lucky recipient of this card is, but I sure hope they like it!! Thanks for stopping by!