Branch Out

Challenge last week at LNS was to use the color combo.....Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Ruby Red. I whipped up this card for a friend's birthday. This is one of my favorite cards I've done in a while. I used the Top Note die for the Big Shot, sm oval punch, and scallop oval punch with the stamp set Curvy Verses, which is one of my favorite verse sets. You can't tell from the photo, but the Chocolate Chip background is texturized using a wood looking texture plate with the Big Shot and looks really cool up close! TFL!

Goody Gumdrops

Challenge #21 for LateNightStampers was to create something that reminded you of summer! I was a little bummed because the stamp set I had in mind is....retired (Along the Shore). You can't use anything retired when doing the LNS challenges, so I settled on a double scoop ice cream sundae from the hostess set Goody Gumdrops. I used the big scallop circle for the Big Shot, and my new favorite punch, the scallop oval!! This card isn't my favorite, but it's ok. I like the colors. It's definitely not going to win the challenge for the week, but it made me actually ink up the stamp set and use it! :) That's the purpose of challenges! TFL!

Got Snot?

***if you have a weak stomach, don't proceed any further!!***

Steve took these wonderful (yeah, wonderfully disgusting) pics of Micah a couple of winters ago. Poor child. When she gets a cold, she gets soooooo snotty. These pics are not a two time occurance when she sneezes. This is a typical JoJo sneeze. Snot. Everywhere. Leave it to Steve to stop and take pictures before helping her clean up. Oh, well. It does make for a rather comical scrapbook page, doesn't it?! Enjoy! :)


Papers are Sassafras Lass, Cricut font (??? can't remember, but I loved that 'g'!), some nicely colored Dew Drops, and the Sizzix Big Shot Top Note die.

Just For You

Yep, I know, dang near the same card I already posted. But, I did need a graduation card and it's always easier to make 2 cards at a time (for me, at least!). But, just in case I got disqualified for using the Summer Sun in the LNS color challenge on the last card, I tried to stick more to the actual colors for this one. I stamped him twice in 2 different colors and paper pieced him and yes, forgot his red butt on this one, too. But, it doesn't bother me enough to redo.....YET! LOL!!

Happy Graduation, Josh!!!

Thanks a Bunch!

Just a quick card I whipped up this evening since I finished with a high school/graduation scrapbook album. Ya know, had a little bit of time on my hands and all, since a small part of my scraproom is sitting on the dining room table. Why not take advantage of it?!

This card is for the LateNightStampers Challenge #20, which is a color challenge....Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Old Olive. I threw in some Summer Sun for the banana, because who's ever gonna eat a green, red or brown banana?! That, and the girls really wanted me to use the banana versus any of the other accessories in the set. So, who am I to let them down?! LOL!! Making the monkey was a little time consuming. I stamped him on Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla and then cut the pieces out and pieced him together. Make sense?! And, looking at the photo, I now realize I forgot to do his butt red. Dang it.

Sorry about the funky angle of the photo. I can't bend down, so I did my best at taking a photo of it. Bear with me. I'll fill you in on why my scraproom is upstairs and why I can't bend tomorrow. I realize I've ignored by blogging buddies as to my current condition. But, it's late and I've just recently taken some valium which is about to kick in and my typing and train of thought isn't very pretty when that stuff takes effect!!

Thoughts and Prayers

This is the Mother's Day card I made for Steve's Mom using the SU stamp set Thoughts and Prayers, which is my absolute favoritest stamp set ever!! I used Bella Rose DSP and Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon. A little big of pink Stickles on the flowers sets it off perfectly! TFL!

{lucky me!}

The Mother's Day card I made for my Mom this year! I used a stamp set from the Stampin' Up Occasions Mini. Isn't it cute? The DSP is Bella Rose and is soooo pretty. A little bit of sewing. Little dabs of pink Stickles in the middle of the flowers. TFL!

Lemonade Stand Award!

From my friend, fellow awesome SU demonstrator, and one time roomie at Convention last year, Twila! Thank you so much for thinking of me, girl!! It really makes me feel special. Especially after the grueling week I have had!! Everyone needs to check out Twila's blog...she is so darn crafty!!

The rules of the award (To pick up the Lemonade Stand Award):- Comment on this blog.- Cut and paste the award logo and use it in your own blog.- Nominate 5 to 10 blogs you feel show great attitude and gratitude.- Link to your nominees within your blog post.- Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.- Link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation.

Now on to my rewardees......

1. Liz! Awesome creator of....everything! Sketches, cards, scrapbook pages, altered art...it's all good!

2. Carmen! She's lost a child recently (in pounds, that is)! Yes, it's a good thing.....because it means she looks AMAZING! She's my inspiration.

3. Nicole! One of my best friends, super duper-y uber crafty, and can get me out of a funk with one phone call.

4. Shannon! Just became a new Mommy! Enough said, right? Well, she's one of the sweetest, bubbly people I know, and I'm lucky enough to get to be her friend!

5. Krystn! I love her dry sense of humor, lover of big hugs (LOL!) and she's hysterical! And an ultra talented scrapper and entrepreuner (wow, I jacked up the spelling of that word!) Don't believe me? Check out BYOM!!

Little Artist

Yes, artist. I know the pics don't show artwork, but it shows a "sculpture" made out of cardboard by McKenna! She's so creative! She was especially proud of the cute little tail on her cardboard horse.

All stuff on here is from the Chloe's Closet collection by Making Memories. And those flourishes were hand sewn by ME! Yeah, that's the last time I do something like that! LOL!! I told Tiffany to shoot me in the head if I ever thought about doing that again. But, I do like the effect. And, of course, some machine stitching.

TFL!

Bubble Wrap!

Oh, yeah, who doesn't love to pop giant sheets of bubble wrap?! It's always a fight in our house who gets it. This time Kenna and JoJo won out. Had to take some pics. April 2008.

Sassafras pattern paper, Cricut cut arrows, Big Shot flowers, Sizzix Wingo Zingo font and die cuts that came with the paper, and of course....sewing!

TFL!

Welcome to the May 15th & 16th Blog Tour!

Welcome to the May 15th & 16th Blog Tour! My little blog is Stop #20 , Tour #6 . This tour features 22 blogs. Each blog will showcase a beautiful project using items from the Stampin' Up 2009 Spring-Summer Idea Book & Catalog. Don't forget to bookmark your favorite blogs along the tour as the links will disappear after midnight May 16.

I chose to work with the stamp set, Sip by Sip. What first drew me to purchasing this stamp set was the retro feel it has and the adorable coffee ring stain stamp! Talk about cute! But, I've had it for several months and never even took it out of the box. Why? Because it intimidated the heck out of me! Signing up for this stamp set for the tour forced me to get it out and play....and indeed I did! Once I started, I couldn't stop! For my blog projects, I chose to do a card, a gift bag out of a plain ol' brown paper lunch bag, and a matchbox filled with chocolates. I hope these projects inspire you, I mean, that is the main reason for the tour! ;) Now, onto my little creations.....

The color combination I used I got from the fabulous Color Wheel! If you are color challenged (like me!), this SU tool is worth it's weight in gold. The colors are Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Rose Red, and Almost Amethyst. I used the Sanded background stamp on the card base. Other tools & accessories used for the card are the Scallop Edge punch, Corner Rounder punch, Horizontal Slot punch, Sponge Daubers, Stampin' Dimensionals, and 3/8" wide Taffeta Ribbon in Chocolate Chip.


My second project...a decorated plain brown paper lunch bag. Wouldn't this be a cute & easy (& cheap!) way to gift up some fancy bagged coffees for the coffee lover you know?! The kraft color of the bag was perfect with my colors and feel of the stamp set. Once again, same colors (as I was going for a whole matching set type thing). I also threw in some Creamy Caramel and Close To Cocoa ink when I stamped on the bag itself. I used the Sanded background stamp again. Other tools and accessories used on the bag were the Eyelet Border punch, 1 3/4" Circle punch, Photo Corner punch, Word Window punch, Circle Scissor Plus, Bella Rose DSP, 5/8" wide Grosgrain Ribbon in Chocolate Chip, and Organza Ribbon in Whisper White.


And this, is the new Matchbox Die for the Sizzix Big Shot in the Occasions Mini catalog that you can currently order out of from now until June 30! It perfectly fits 3 little mini candy bars! I can see these all the rage for girls planning their wedding as wedding favors on the tables at the reception! But, going along with the saying in the stamp set about coffee and chocolate, I put chocolate in my little matchbox. Same colors, again, of course. All I added to this was some Hemp Twine in Natural and I punched out the saying with the Word Window punch. Super quick and super easy!

Now, allow me to introduce your next stop, #21....the ultra talented Stephanie Zeto! Stephanie's blog features the Stampin' Up stamp set Nursery Necessities. *Links removed due to tour guidelines* So, grab your favorite cuppa joe (or latte!) and enjoy the rest of the tour!

Kelly

Did You Used to be a Cheerleader?

Steve's going to kill me for posting this layout! Yes, that's him doing a cartwheel off the dock into the water at my parent's old house @ Kentucky Lake. Yes, he used to be a cheerleader....in college and he never actually "cheered". He just lifted girls up. This is one bit of info his buddies know and will never let him live down. He's a good sport about it, though.

I used Stampin' Up DSP in Good Morning, Sunshine. The stars are all cut out with SU punches and Big Shot dies. The first part of the title is Big Shot Billboard font and the rest of the title is from a Cricut cartridge (can't remember the name!! For shame!).

TFL!

Best Friends?

Once again....Big Shot crazy (butterflies, scalloped circles, Billboard font). I love that thing!! Paper is Stampin' Up DSP A Walk in the Park in the new Occasions Mini and I love it! Cardstock is my newest color obsession from Stampin' Up, Basic Gray! And, it looks phenomenal with this DSP!!

Journaling says that I have pics to prove that Mara and McKenna actually did like each other at one time! I hope they get over their sibling rivalry to become really good friends....preferably sooner than later!! LOL! Pics are from 2005 and 2006.

TFL!

A Visit from St. Nick

Just a quick page showing the girls with St. Nick loot December 2007. I had never heard of St. Nick until we moved to this area. It's a Catholic thing, which we aren't. I knew when the girls got in school we'd have to start celebrating this. Every year someone has to remind me and I'm usually getting St. Nick gifts the night before!

More Sassafras (still lovin' the scalloped edge on every pattern!), Big Shot Top Note die, and Sizzix Wingo Zingo font. A little sewing to finish it off!

TFL!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all of you wonderful Mom's had a fantastic Mother's Day! I got my Mother's Day present Saturday night in the form of a scavenger hunt put on by Mara. It ended up in the basement guest room where I found an adorable card that sings and then the girls recorded a message a Wii Fit! I've been wanting one of those since like January! After I thanked the girls for my gift, I went and told Steve thank you. He said he didn't have anything to do with it, the girls picked it out, actually, mainly Micah did (awwww!) and each girl actually put in $15 of their own money for it! Granted, I'm sure it wasn't completely selfless, as they will love it, too, but still!! And, I've been getting multitudes of Mother's Day drawings by Micah all week long. My favorite (I wish I had gotten a pic before Toby tore it to bits) was on the front said "I love you daddy. and mommy to." Flip it over and it says "Happy Mother's Day!" ROFL!!!

I have to give a shout out to my parents today, too, as their 34th Anniversary is today!!! Wowza!! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!

Jenna Bee

My cute little neice, Jenna Marie! This photo was taken on her first Halloween last year...isn't she sweet?! She is one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. Pattern paper is from Stampin' Up SAB, so it's now retired, sorry!! I went Big Shot crazy with this one....the huge scalloped flower layers, the heart and flourish were made with Big Shot dies from SU. The big scalloped border was made with the Cricut (I have forgotten what cartridge it was from, but isn't that cool?!) The font for the title is Cricut....Schoolbook, I believe. Ribbon is SU in Certainly Celery. Topped it off with a bit of sewing, of course!

TFL!

McKenna

My expressive little McKenna. Pics taken July 2007. She is one wild 'n crazy little girl and I love these pictures of her! This pattern paper and die cut journaling circle are from the Forest Friends collection by Colorbok. I borrowed 2 cute little butterfly punches from Nicole. Flowers are Primas from my stash. SU ribbon in Old Olive. I used corner rounder and scalloped edge punches. The "M" is cut from the Cricut cartridge Storybook (which I think is my absolute fave cartridge ever!!). We all learned from Nicole that there are waaaaaaaay more fun things you can do with all of those Cricut cartridges if you actually look thru the books that come with each cartridge! Who would've thought?!?! Thanks, Nicole!! ;)

Anyway, TFL!

In the Swim of Things

More awesome Sassafras paper! Mara @ Cocoa Beach,FL back in 2006. PageMaps sketch, thank goodness! There'd be no way I'd be able to put 6 pics on a layout on my own! LOL!! For the title I used a Big Shot alpha.....and I'm totally blanking on the name of it. Horrible.

TFL!

Wave Chaser

Pics of Micah learning to kneeboard @ Kentucky Lake a couple of years ago....isn't she sweet?! I used the Stampin' Up DSP Good Morning, Sunshine for this layout. I hand drew the wave and cut it out. Title is Cricut cartridge Tear Drop, which was perfect for this!! SU's Kiwi Kiss striped grosgrain ribbon tops it off perfectly!

TFL!

HK freak!

This is my little Kenna Wee sportin' her Hello Kitty backpack. This backpack is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to her collection of HK stuff...coin bank, bazillion keychains, christmas ornament, watch, pj's, blanket, and at least 6 dolls. My SIL, Jeanne, got me a couple of HK dies for my Big Shot for Christmas and I finally got to break one out and use it for this layout. Isn't it CUTE?! Tiffany had the HK die with the flower, swirls and stars that I used. The pattern paper is Sassafras and is to die for, it's so pink and adorable and every paper is scalloped!! Then, to top it all off, I put pink Stickles all over the pink stuff, but you can't see it very well in this pic of it. I used the Cricut cartridge Alphalicious for the title.

Anyway, TFL!!

Baby girl and Baby boy cards

Just a couple of baby cards I whipped up for my sister to give to some of her friends who have recently had a baby! The stamp set is retired, but it's so cute! I think the name is Bundled in Love. I also used the Sizzix texture plates for the back ground on the baby girl card. TFL!

The last 2 layouts from the May BYOM kit!

Yep, last two layouts done the always awesome kits from BYOM!! TFL!