Papertrey Ink Stamp-A-Faire 2011 (part 2)

So, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, we got to meet some of our PTI heroes over the weekend and it was so amazing! My favorite card was the one Michelle Wooderson presented at the morning session. We used Friendship Jar and Daydreamer stamp sets to make the card and I just love the fresh crisp look of the blue and yellow. We used a simple circle stamp to create a scalloped border - isn't that neat, and super simple! We also met Nichole Heady, Dawn McVey, Betsy Veldman, Heather Nichols, and Lisa Johnson. It was so neat to see in person all of the Design Team Members whose blogs we stalk religiously! We got a beautiful green and Kraft burlap goodie bag filled with stamp sets (3!!), paper, note pads, and embellishments.


Michelle Wooderson (Mish Mash) was so sweet; Dawn McVey looked totally different in person than on her blog; Heather Nichols is very tall; Nichole Heady is really pretty with super-cute hair; and Lisa Johnson is a tiny, little spitfire who talks a mile a minute!!

Papertrey Ink Stamp-A-Faire 2011 (part 1)

I had such a fantastic time in Cincinnati over the weekend!! I went with several of my stamping friends to Papertrey Ink's First Annual Stamp-A-Faire. We spent all of Saturday stamping, laughing, meeting all of our Papertrey heroes, and generally having a wonderful time. We ate at some of Cincy's most notable restaurants, including Skyline, Montgomery Inn-Boat House, and Graeter's, and stayed at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel, who was absolutely gorgeous! Our room was gigantic with a tiny bathroom, but that was fine with me - the bed was very comfortable and I slept better than I have ever slept in a hotel bed! After a yummy dinner of Cincinnati chili over spaghetti topped with a mountain of shredded cheddar cheese, we had ice cream at Graeter's. Now, I have never been to a Graeter's, but the Food Network named it one of the top 5 ice cream shops in the country so I couldn't pass up a chance to sample their deliciousness! I tried Buckeye Blitz (chocolate ice cream with a peanut butter swirl) that night and Mocha Chip on our way home (after a second trip to Skyline!). So good! We had ribs at the Montgomery Inn-Boat House that were to-die-for! I'm not typically a ribs person, but they are known for their ribs so, once again, I had to try them, and they were amazing! Tender and juicy and messy - I even wore a bib! Embarrassingly necessary! Since this food post is running so long, I will wait and post our stamped projects later this week. Thanks for stopping by!!

Papertrey Ink July Blog Hop

I typically don't do Papertrey's blog hops because, sadly, I never have time!! But after a fun-filled weekend in Cincinnati at Stamp-A-Faire (more on that later!), I was inspired to give it a go! Isn't this an amazing inspiration picture! I adore the colors and couldn't wait to see what I could do with them! My fingers are crossed that I will be randomly selected to win the PTI stamp set of my choice. Which one would I choose . . . On My Couch, Daydreamer, Friendship Jar . . . there are just too many wonderful choices!! Have a great evening!!

Cincinnati Bound

Today I am leaving for Cincinnati for Papertrey Ink's First Stamp-A-Faire!! I am so excited to be going on a girls' weekend with my stamping friends!! Plus this is my first getaway since Miss Morgan was born 10 months ago so I am super psyched!! I know I will have tons and tons of pictures and ideas to share with you all when I return so start getting excited! Have a great weekend!!

Polka Dot Buds

In my quest for more and MORE cards using Bud Basics, I found this card by Nancy Riley that I just loved!! Bashful Blue and Real Red with white is a fantastic color combo that always looks fresh. This card went together quickly and would be a great one to mass produce for an invitation or other occasion. Nancy also has a blog so check her out here. See you soon!!

SU! Catalog CASE

If you haven't seen the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog, you really must get your hands on a copy. It is filled with so many beautiful projects - it even feels beautiful! One of my favorite new projects is on the front cover - the seed packet. Not surprisingly, I didn't have any of the supplies used to make this project, but I'm getting so much better at improvising! I used Serene Sunflowers, another older but goodie, and Groovy Guava ink & paper, a color I have been drawn to more and more lately. Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!

Bud Basics Beauty!

The Bud Basics stamp set that I bought on ebay finally arrived and I broke it out yesterday to make this card that I found on . . . {wait for it} . . . Splitcoast Stampers!! The original is made using Almost Amethyst, but I prefer Bashful Blue. I love the combo of pale blue and black, and Bud Basics is nearly a no-fail set that is so much fun to experiment with. I can't wait to make more beautiful cards using this classic set!

Pick-A-Petal

Continuing with my obsession with older SU! stamp sets, I give you this card that I made using Pick-A-Petal! This set came out at the same time as two of my all-time favorite SU! colors - Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi - and it holds a special place in my heart, but I haven't used it in a long time. So, after once again consulting SCS, I found this card by Jill Coleman. Instead of her color scheme, I used Poppy Parade (LOVE this color!!), Groovy Guava, and Daffodil Delight with Sunny Garden DSP (another fave!). I just love how it turned out! I'm sending this card to my Bunko Buddy, Sally, who just had kidney stone surgery unlike any kidney stone surgery I have EVER heard of!! She definitely needs some lovin'!! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful holiday weekend!!

Scene in a Garden

It was surprising pleasant outside this morning so I sat outside with my laptop and my Pioneer Woman iced coffee enjoying the breeze before the kids found me or the mosquitoes ate me up!! I've been trying to use some of the stamp sets that I tend to neglect and came across Scene in a Garden in my bookcase. Of course, I had to look for inspiration on-line and I found this beautiful card from Tanya Boser's blog, Tinkerin In Ink. Isn't that a cute blog name? I couldn't wait to CASE it! I was pleasantly surprised that my SU! markers colored so smoothly on the white cardstock I used. I was afraid I'd have to invest in an assortment of Copics to get such a smooth result but that is not the case and my wallet is thankful! There is something very relaxing about coloring so I really enjoyed experimenting with color combinations while coloring this card. Thanks for stopping by - have a great day!!

Happy Half-Birthday Bailey!!

Hi, there, friends! Hope you've had a great weekend! Ours was nice because we have power and the storms seem to have moved on. What a wild few days we've had here! We have lived in our house for more than 15 years and this was the first time that we lost power for a full day. Unfortunately, there are lots of people who are still without power and this is day 5 for them. On this quiet afternoon, I decided to make a card that I saw on Geny Cassady's blog, Madison Avenue. She participated in the PTI blog hop and this is her submission. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the colors!! It's such a happy, bright card. I CASEd is for my daughter, Bailey's half-birthday today. Since she was 4.5, we have celebrated her half- birthday on June 27 with half a cake and half a card, so she's getting the front of a card and a one-layer caramel cake this year. I love how sweet little traditions make ordinary days special. Hope you enjoy your day!

Vintage SU!

Yea!! Another card!! I have been OBSESSING over some of my favorite "vintage" stamps from SU!, many of which I thought I still had but must have sold in a frenzy to move out the retired and buy the new! Since some of these sets are crazy expensive on ebay, I decided to head to my local scrapbook store for their yard sale this weekend. I had seriously high hopes that I would find some of the sets I'm currently coveting, but sadly, I only found one, Paint Prints. I wore this set out back in 2006 when it was released as a Sell-A-Bration set, I believe. And for $3, I could hardly go wrong buying it! This is one of the cards I found on SCS using this beloved set so today I CASEd it and I love the way mine turned out!! I didn't have Cool Caribbean (another misstep from way back!) so I used PTI's Hawaiian Shores which is quite a bit darker than CC but beautiful. The measurements for the finished card base are 8 1/4 x 3 5/8 (I know you want to know because I did, too!). Right now, I am stalking Bud Basics on ebay and hopefully, in about 45 minutes, it too will be mine!! Check back later this week to see!!

One HOT Card!! :D

Isn't this a cute card? This is one of the cards my stamping group made last week when we got together. My friend, Leigh Ann, put her heart, soul, and fingerprints into this card - she burned her fingers with the glue gun while making the pleated focal points!! But doesn't it look great? Thanks for your sacrifice, Leigh Ann!!

For You

Today's card is a sympathy card for a family friend, but I think it would be beautiful for any occasion. I found this card on-line a while back and I'm so sorry I don't know who made it (if you do, please send me a message), but I just fell in love with the layers and the focal point! The person who originally made it used Ruby Red but since I didn't have that particular DSP, I decided to go with something I did have which used Tangerine Tango with Chocolate Chip and Kiwi Kiss. Isn't this a great color combo? I used to have a terrible time estimating the measurements of all the layers on a card I want to CASE, but I just started holding up a clear ruler to my card base to gauge how long and wide the layers should be, and I've been getting a much better product as a result! See, you can teach an old dog new tricks! Thanks for stopping by today! I'll be posting my stamp group's card creations over the next few days so check back!

Cute Shrooms!

After a bit of blog-stalking recently, I found this BEAUTIFUL card on the blog Linda's Stampin Loft! I have always loved shades of turquoise/blue with red & white, and this card really makes the most of that color combination. Aren't those little mushrooms cute?! They are so simple to make. I believe Linda used a circle punch to make her shroomies, but I used SU!'s wide oval and I love the way they turned out. On a side note, my stamping group is getting together on Tuesday night and this is the card I've prepared for them to make. I'm so excited!! I hope they like it. Thanks for stopping by - have a great week!!

Scattered Showers

I think this is one of the prettiest cards I have ever seen and I was so excited that I had the stamp set to make it! Papertrey's Scattered Showers is another super versatile set that is so much fun to experiment with. I really had to punt when it came to choosing a patterned paper to use because, of course and as usual, I didn't pick that element out first! I do that every time I make a card! It would be so much easier if I picked out my DSP first, but I never seem to be that proactive! Luckily, I was able to find something that worked to complete my card. Hope you all are staying cool out there - thanks for stopping by!

Day at the Beach

It's possible that I have made and posted this card before, but it's exactly the card I needed to send to our PTO president and her husband for hosting all of our school volunteers at their beautiful home for an end-of-year party. I was thrilled to be able to attend! There was a delicious Mexican buffet and an even more wonderful margarita bar that I enjoyed tremendously! I knew that Papertrey Ink's Day at the Beach would be the perfect set to use. Papertrey sets have so many images & sentiments and are so easy & versatile to use.

I am so excited to have yet another post to share. I'm actually finding that it is even harder for me to get my cards posted than it is to make them. Crazy! But I am working hard to accomplish more and more each day, and hopefully, my cardmaking will benefit from that goal, too! Hope you have a great week!

Upsy Daisy

This card caught my eye as soon as I pulled up the SCS gallery for Upsy Daisy! Isn't it GREAT?!?! I've put Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and Real Red together before, but Bravo Burgundy seemed a bit of a stretch, but it works! I carefully adhered the 1" x 3.25" cardstock strips side by side to a piece of scratch paper and stamped the flower image. Then, I even more carefully removed the strips and attached them to white cardstock leave a slight space between them. This is a simple but striking format that's very versatile. I can't wait to switch up for another occasion.

I made this card to send to Bailey's guitar teacher who is having cancer treatments in Houston for the next three months. Bailey signed it so sweetly that I cried a little. I told her that I could make him a card with beautiful embellishments, colorful cardstock, and all the bells & whistles I could think of but it wouldn't mean nearly as much as the message she wrote to him. I am so proud of my most wonderful daughter!! Thanks for stopping by!

Wild About You!

My friend, Karen, who I've mentioned here before, has the sweetest son, named Charles, who recently received an award for being the outstanding fifth-grader at his school and since we think so much of this precious family, I decided to make a card for Charles and send him a copy of his newspaper photo. I have a terrible time making cards for boys but I thought Wild About You would be a good stamp set to use. After consulting SCS, I found this adorable card that I couldn't wait to make! I think my version turned out cute and I hope Charles knows how proud we are of him! Have a great weekend!