Steph's Stampin' Stuff

A Halloween Pumpkin

2011-10-28T00:14:00.000-06:00

Woah! Two posts in two days! It's a miracle! :) Ok, so I have a card that I have been DYING to share with you! I must say that I am really pleased with how it turned out! I have been itching to play with some yummy Unity so I pulled out this old Kit of the Month from Sept. 2009 and found this adorable pumpkin that had yet to see ink! I stamped it on some SU! watercolor paper and then colored it with my markers and blender pen. I just love this coloring technique and hadn't used it in awhile. Anyway, I paired it with some fun Cosmo Cricket Nutmeg paper and found the sentiment from the SU! set called All Holidays. The sketch is an old Splitcoast sketch challenge that I thought would be perfect for today's card. I guess I love that it's fairly simple yet detailed at the same time. Does that make any sense? Haha!

I made a video showing the process of creating this card as well. If you are interested, I would love for you to watch it! :) You can either find the video at the end of this post or click on this link to watch it directly on YouTube.

Here is a detailed look at the image.

And since it's been awhile since I've shared a picture of my sweet little Addison with you, here are a few pictures of us from our trip to the pumpkin patch this weekend! :)

Here is the video for today's card:

Spooky Magnets & Bookmarks!

2011-10-27T13:34:00.000-06:00

Good afternoon everyone! I hope you all enjoyed my last video tutorial! I apologize for not getting this one up sooner. I have been having some technical difficulties! I think I got the bugs worked out now though and should have more videos to post this week! :)

For today's video I wanted to share with you how I made these fun magnets and bookmarks for my nieces and nephew for Halloween this year. I just love making things for them and I figured maybe you would enjoy it as well!

I apologize for not having a picture of the finished projects. I actually gave them away before I had a chance to take any pictures. At least they are getting used and enjoyed now! :)

P.S. I just found the name of the alphabet stamp set! It is called Tenley Alphabet by Stampabilities.

Halloween Lantern

2011-10-12T13:31:00.002-06:00

Good afternoon! I am so excited to announce that I have started a new YouTube channel where I will be posting video tutorials! I have always loved creating videos and I love watching stamping videos so I figured, why not make my own? :) So here's what I need from you. I need to know what you want to see. What kind of videos would you be interested in watching (techniques, projects, cards, etc.)? Please leave me a comment so that I can get a list started. I know there are many stamping channels out there so I am hoping to get some fresh ideas!

Anyway, on to today's project! I wanted to create something using my SU! Bigz Scallop Square die. I purchased it a long time ago and had hardly used it so I decided it was time! As I was brainstorming I remembered seeing a box (I don't remember where I saw it) that was made using scalloped squares so I was originally going to make one but then I thought it would be fun to make something for Halloween and somehow this lantern came about! :)

I'm going to keep this fairly short because I don't want to bore you with all of the details when you can just watch the video to figure it out! However, if you do have any questions please let me know and I will do my best to answer them! Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Here is the video tutorial showing how to create this fun lantern!

Good Morning!

2011-03-28T08:53:00.003-06:00

So again, I apologize for my lack of creativeness lately. I can tell you that my husband and I have been working on a couple of awesome projects that I am excited to share with you hopefully soon! I am hoping to find some craft time this afternoon as well. We will see how the little one cooperates.

Speaking of her, how about I share another fun video that I took a couple of weeks ago? This is what we wake up to every morning! It's the best alarm clock ever! :D

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

I just had to share!

2011-03-24T17:24:00.006-06:00

Here is a video of my little sweetie! She is so much more animated lately and I absolutely love capturing moments like these! I took this video a couple weeks ago and forgot to share it with all of you! I plan on sharing more fun videos in the future. Hopefully that is ok with all of you! :)

By LORi Designs Challenge #10!

2011-03-24T17:16:00.001-06:00

I'm a bad card maker. I can't seem to find time to sit down and make them lately! It's super depressing because I really enjoy creating, however, my daughter does need to come first and she's been very demanding these past couple of weeks. On top of that, we also had some tragedies happen in our small town that required my husband's and my attention last week.

However, I didn't want to miss a By LORi designs challenge so I made sure to make a card for this week! Check out this week's color challenge!

It's a crazy color combination but I actually thought it was fun, yet challenging! :) For my card I used this adorable new image called "Easter Lyla"! I have an Easter project in mind that I want to create this year so when I saw her, I knew she would be perfect for it...stay tuned in the future for that. Alright, back to today's card! So confession time...if you hadn't already noticed (which I'm sure you did), I colored my image a little bit differently this week. I actually cheated for the first time and used the computer! WHAT??? Don't shun me! It's something that I have always been interested in trying so since I didn't have much time this week, I went for it! As for the rest of the card, the sketch I used is from this week's Mojo Monday sketch and the paper is a variety of old Stampin' Up! designer paper. I added some stickles to the image as well as a few fun little rhinestones to finish up the look!

Well I hope you all enjoy my card! Don't hate me for my lack of posts and cheater coloring! I appreciate all of you who have stuck with me so far. I'm not sure there are many of you left but I hope you know that those of you who are, mean SO much to me! Thank you!

Now before you take off, be sure to check out the rest of the design team's cards! They have completely rocked it this week! :D


Jane Lysa Pattie Sparkle Mariska Mary J Frances Silli Tracy Mandi-Lee	Peggy Loretta Tracey Ann Sharon Sharette. Steph Shelly Brook Jenny

By LORi Designs Challenge #8!

2011-03-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another fantastic challenge at By LORi Designs! :) This week's color challenge was actually a lot of fun for me!

At first when I saw the colors I immediately thought boy but I wanted to use this adorable image called "Happy Birthday Annie"! I then decided to think outside the box and make it feminine. I LOVE the end results!

First I made my card. I decided to use Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try for the month of March. It was a really great sketch and I loved the layout of it so I decided to keep my card fairly simple (simple according to my terms at least)! I found some old Stampin' Up! paper as the big background panel and added a wide piece of ribbon as the middle stripe. I then colored my image with my Copics (LOVE THEM) and added some fun little rhinestones to the corner of the image panel. After popping it up on dimensionals I then decided to add a button to the ribbon and paper pierce the top and bottom strips. I wasn't exactly sure what to do for a sentiment so I pulled out this "happy birthday" phrase from my Stampin' Up! set called "All Holidays". I stamped it on the top and bottom of the card and at first, hated the look of it but decided it was too late to go back. However, after looking at the card a BUNCH of times, I have decided that I kind of like the double stamped sentiment!

When I use digital images I tend to print out a bunch of different sizes of the image so I can then decide how big I want the image to be. That being said, I usually end up with a ton of images that never get used which means a lot of wasted cardstock. So for this week's challenge I decided to go one step further and create a little gift as well! My husband actually received this bucket a few years ago as an Easter basket from my mom (cute huh?) and it's been sitting in my stamp closet waiting to be altered ever since so I decided this was the perfect opportunity! :) After wrapping some ribbon and a piece of designer paper around the tin I colored (with my Copics) and cut out sweet little Annie again and then popped her up on the bucket using my glue dots! I wanted to make sure to include the balloon so I cut it out separately and strung a piece of floss from it to her hand.

So what do you think? Did it turn out alright? Make sure you stop by the By LORi Designs Challenge blog so that you too can participate in this fun challenge AND you won't want to miss what the rest of the team has created! I've already seen their creations so I know they are fabulous! :D

Take care and thanks so much for stopping by!

LoVE YoU Bunches!

2011-03-07T16:03:00.002-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm finally back! :) We had a fantastic trip and I was honestly sad to have to go home. We miss our family so incredibly much and now that we have a baby, we have become even more homesick. Anyway, I apologize for not getting crafty while I was away. Between family visits and diaper changes, I just didn't have time! Haha! However, as soon as I got home I got crafty and am back to share my creations!

I absolutely love this image from By LORi Designs! Her name is Harper and she is one of the adorable Puddle Jumpers! I actually created this card for the current By LORi Designs color challenge that you can find here! The colors are great and I had a lot of fun playing with them! The sketch is from last week's Mojo Monday blog as well!

Well that's it for today! Thanks so much for sticking with me! I'll have another card to share with you tomorrow so stay tuned for that! :)

Before I go, here are some pictures that we took while we were in Iowa!

My sweetie and me!

Uncle Matt approves!

Addison meeting her cousins and great grandma for the first time!

Our latest family picture. Look how much hair she has lost! :(

Taylored Expressions Blast From The Past Blog Hop

2011-02-24T09:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to another Taylored Expressions Blast From The Past blog hop! This month's theme was "Going Green" so of course I created a St. Patrick's Day card using this adorable image from "A Year of Sweets 1" and I used the sentiment from the set called "A Year of Sentiments". The paper I used is from the Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety line. The sketch was designed by Sankari and you can find it on the Taylored Expressions blog!

Now hop on over to the other participants! I know I'm excited to see what they've come up with!

By LORi Designs Challenge: BLD5

2011-02-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

It's time for another By Lori Designs Challenge and I'm running behind! My card has been done for quite some time but I completely forgot to post it to my blog! I guess you can say I've been a little distracted while I've been here in Iowa! I can't even believe how crazy busy Addie and I have been! It's nuts! We've been visiting family and friends non-stop! :)

Now on to today's card! This week's challenge is an AWESOME color combination! I absolutely LOVE it and the image I used is perfect for it! I must admit that this may just be one of my very favorite images from Lori Designs and the reason for that is because it is called "Baby Addy". Now I know the spelling is different but it still holds a dear place in my heart! I mean seriously, how cute is she??? I think she kind of even looks like my baby Addie! :) Anyway, the paper I used is some retired Stampin' Up! designer paper (I can't remember the name of it). The sketch is one of the Viva la Verve sketch challenges from this month and the image was colored with my copics.

Well thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have time to play in today's challenge! There are some awesome opportunities in store for you! Each week the team will vote on a TOP Lollipop CARD and that designer will receive a digi from the BLD Shop and will have an opportunity to be our guest designer for the following challenge. How awesome is that??? Make sure you stop by the By LORi Designs challenge blog to see what the other lovely ladies have created! Have a fantastic Thursday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

I won this awesome stamp set at the last Flourishes release and just had to create a different Valentine's Day card for my husband! This set was absolutely perfect for us since we are such a musical family! Nick plays almost every different type of guitar imaginable so of course I made him a card with a Valentine! I thought I would also enter this card into the Flourishes "Bring Back Beautiful" challenge for this month!

Well that's it for me! We are on our way to Iowa so we can show our daughter off to all of our friends and family! I'll be posting sporadically throughout the week so hang in there with me! :) Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a fantastic Valentine's Day!

Kraftin' Kimmie Seeing Red!

2011-02-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

Last week's Kraftin' Kimmie challenge was to create a card using lots of red. Well my card didn't turn out exactly as I had pictured in my head but I still think it looks alright. I pulled out Charlotte again for this challenge and paired her with some more Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety dp. I just think this designer paper is so much fun! I can't get enough of it lately! Anyway, I colored her in with my Copics and embellished with some ribbon and buttons! Slowly but surely I am becoming more acquainted with my Copic markers. It's taken me awhile to find my favorite method but I think I finally have it! :) As for the sketch of this card, I used today's Friday Sketchers layout!

Well, that's it for today's card! I am heading to Iowa next week to see my family so I am not exactly sure how much I will be able to post. I definitely have a few cards lined up though so be sure to stay tuned for those! Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate all of my readers so much and am very thankful to those of you who have stuck around with all of my posting lags! :)

And in honor of the ornery Charlotte, I wanted to post this hilarious picture of my daughter! She was sound asleep in her bouncer with her finger completely jammed up her nose! Haha! I just had to get a picture of it! She must get that from her daddy! ;)

By Lori Designs Challenge #4 Plus An Announcement!

2011-02-10T10:00:00.002-07:00

Edited to add: I played around a bit and tried to take a new picture of my card using better lighting. I was able to get a slightly better picture. Hopefully they only continue to improve!

I have some VERY exciting news! I was asked to be on the By Lori Designs challenge design team! :) I absolutely LOVE By Lori Designs images so of course I was thrilled to be chosen! Lori creates the most adorable images and they are so much fun to color! I am joined by MANY talented women so be sure to stop by the BLD blog to check them out.

Without further ado, here is this week's color challenge!

This week's color challenge was a little bit of a struggle for me. I can't seem to make a card without using designer paper and I found that the Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety paper was almost a perfect match. It just had some yellow thrown into the mix so I went with it!

My image is from the Sugar Sticks line and it is called "Love You Friend". I love how versatile this image is! It can be used on either a masculine or feminine card and for almost any occasion! I colored the image with my Copics and used this month's Sketch For You To Try as my layout! I sponged the edges with some Antique Linen distress ink and embellished the card with some ribbon and buttons! Overall I absolutely love how my card turned out! The only thing I am disappointed in is the fact that my picture didn't turn out that great. I am still trying to figure out why my photos don't look as bright as they used to. Hopefully I can get it figured out soon!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have time to play with this week's challenge!

Happy Birthday To My Amazing Husband!

2011-02-09T21:59:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my husband's 28th birthday and I was able to find time to create a birthday card for him! Let me tell you, finding time to create a card hasn't been as difficult as finding time to actually to actually take a picture and upload it to my computer! Haha! I've had 4 cards sitting on my desk this week just waiting for their picture to be taken. Anyway, I decided enough was enough and that I needed to share these with you so I am! :)

So back to my husband's birthday card, he absolutely loves moose (I think I've mentioned that a time or two before) and so of course I had to use this adorable Ed the Moose stamp from Kim Hughes and pair it with the fun little mountain image from the Bear Hugs set. The Mr. Campy dp from Cosmo Cricket was the perfect pair to these images as well! I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge as the layout, colored the images with my Copics and sponged the edges with some Tim Holtz distress inks.

Let's just say Nick liked the card. After he opened it he said "This is your best card yet!" WOOHOO! :) That definitely made my day!

Of course I can't end this post without sharing a picture of us with our own mountains! :D They look little in this picture but that they definitely are not! :)

Thanks for being patient with me these past few weeks! I promise things will get better, it's just taking me time to adjust! Stay tuned for tomorrow's card as well as a fun announcement!

More Baby Cuteness and A Winner! :)

2011-01-26T11:02:00.002-07:00

Well I'm back with my first actual post since having my sweet baby girl! Thank you SO much to those of you who stopped by to congratulate me! I loved ready every comment! So far mommy-hood has been absolutely wonderful and it has kept me very occupied! Our family was visiting from Iowa up until yesterday so unfortunately I haven't had time to do much stamping. I plan on getting busy today though! :)

I'm sure that you are all just dying to know who the winner of my blog candy is! I will get to that in a moment but first I wanted to share some more pictures of my little sweetie!

Addison's first Sunday in church! :)

Daddy's favorite outfit! We threw on the bow to make it a little girly! :) Sleepy Addison Joy

I just had to share this hilarious picture that Nick took! She was trying to wake up from her nap and just couldn't seem to keep her eyes open!

Addison had her first wellness check yesterday and we found out that she weighs more than she did at birth! Woohoo! Let me tell you, this little girl eats like a champ! She sure keeps mommy busy with feedings!

Ok, now on to the winner. Using random.org the winner is #16 who is Charna! :)

Charna said "congratulations! thank you so much for the blog candy and cant wait to see pictures of your little princess!"

Charna, be sure to email me your home address so that I can get your goodies mailed out! My email address is stephsstampinstuff (at) gmail (dot) com.

A Pastel Thank You!

2011-01-23T07:19:00.002-07:00

Bee Mine

2011-01-22T07:22:00.001-07:00

Think Spring!

2011-01-21T08:09:00.001-07:00

My January/February Inspiration Station

2011-01-20T07:42:00.002-07:00

So one of the ways I have kept myself motivated this past month is by setting up an inspiration station for myself. As most of you know, it is sometimes (ok, ok, VERY) difficult for me to find my stamping mojo and this has REALLY helped! I have always been a huge fan of Michelle Wooderson from Mish Mash and she is the original brains behind this inspiration station idea! Basically my inspiration station included items related to the upcoming holiday (this one being Valentine's Day) as well as any new items I've received or any old items I felt the need to break back out! My inspiration station table is also my cutting table so that is why you see my Cricut and Big Shot there as well. Behind the table are two large windows where I have also decided to display my creations using the materials from the table. If you would like to see a close up of what I have, make sure to click on the picture!

Thanks so much for allowing me to share this with you! Once Valentine's day has past, I will be updating my station with new goodies!

Taylored Expressions Blast From the Past Blog Hop!

2011-01-19T09:00:00.002-07:00

Welcome to Taylored Expresions' Blast From the Past Blog Hop! This month's blog hop theme is LOVE so of course I had to pull out my very favorite TE set called "Love is Sweet"! This set has some of the cutest images in it and I am very partial to this kissing cuppie image! Isn't is SO cute? :) I stamped them and colored them with my Copics. I then cut them out and popped them up on some old book paper that I had lying around! The sketch I used is the Viva La Verve sketch challenge #2 and I paired it with some more BasicGrey Bittersweet dp! I used my swirls CB embossing folder to emboss the panel behind the main image and then tied some fancy ribbon on! As a final touch I sponged all of the edges with some Tim Holtz Antique Linen distress ink and then added some pretty pearls to the corner of the card!

So now that you've seen my card, make sure you check out everyone else who is participating in today's fun blog hop! Also, if you haven't already, please stop by the Taylored Expressions blog to see all of the details!

Thanks so much for hopping by my blog today! I should be coming home from the hospital at some point today (I HOPE) so make sure you check out my blog candy a couple posts below in celebration of my daughter's arrival! :)

Meet Addison Joy! :)

2011-01-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

Addison Joy entered the world on Monday, January 17th at 7:43 via c-section! She weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long! Our precious little girl was breech and has hip dysplacia which means that her hip joints have not formed correctly and she has to be placed in a plavik harness for 3-4 months so her hip joints can form. She is absolutely gorgeous and I can't express how much we love her!

Nick and I are so blessed to have this perfect little bundle of joy!

The Frog Prince???

2011-01-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

I'm still in the hospital after having my c-section so this is being posted in advance! Don't forget to enter my blog candy drawing down below while I'm away!

For today's card I decided to pull out another adorable Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps image called "Lillith"! I fell in love with her the minute I saw her! She just looks so ornery, doesn't she! :) Anyway, as I was sitting at my desk trying to think of a sentiment to go with her I realized that she reminded me very much of The Frog Prince! Why else would she have a frog sitting on her head??? Haha! I then found the sentiment "Kiss Me" from Kim Hughes' set called the Birds and the Bees and decided to use it! I colored her with Copics and decided to color and cut out the cute little froggie stamp that comes with her so that it would look like the frog was saying it! What a perfect Valentine from a guy to his gal! I think it's so cute! As for the rest of this card, the sketch is from last weeks Viva La Verve sketch challenge #3 and of course I had to enter it into the Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps challenge which was to include flowers on the card! The paper is from Cosmo Cricket and that is where I pulled my colors from.

Well I really hope you enjoyed today's card! I REALLY enjoyed making it. I am finding that I am getting much more advanced with my Copics and I owe it all to the fabulous stampers in blog land! Thanks ladies! :)

It's Addison's Birthday! :)

2011-01-17T07:30:00.002-07:00

I am currently in the hospital giving birth to my daughter Addison and I decided that I should celebrate by offering you some blog candy! :D I will be sure to post pictures of her as soon as I can but until then, take the time to leave a comment and be entered into a random drawing for some goodies!

So what's up for grabs? How about 30 different sheets of double sided designer paper, some amazing twine, a set of Inque Boutique stamps, some fun Heidi Swap cards, scrapbooking stickers, and 5 paper punches? Sounds pretty good huh?

Leave me a comment by January 24th and I'll draw a name to see who wins! Good luck!

I'm Nuts About You Valentine!

2011-01-16T08:02:00.002-07:00

Isn't he CUTE??? I just love this stamp set called "You're So Punny" by There She Goes! I wanted to create a fun Valentine's Day card for my husband and knew this little squirrel would be perfect! However, Nick saw the card and said "Did you make this for me??" Haha! Of course he was excited about it but obviously he knows me way too well! Anyway, I colored the squirrel with my copics and did quite a bit of sponging on this card. I used Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch from last week and combined it with more of my BasicGrey Bittersweet dp.

This is going to be a short post for today because I am getting ready to head out for our hotel so that we can be at my c-section bright and early tomorrow morning! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we enter into these next few days! I'm not going to lie and say I'm not a little nervous about it! :)

Also, stay tuned for some BLOG CANDY!

Stamps For Sale!

2011-01-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

It's time for me to purge my craft room and try to make some extra cash. I absolutely HATE to part with these stamps but since my husband is out of work for the winter and we have a baby on the way, we desperately need to make some money. Most of these stamps have been used but I do have some that have never been used! There are a few that have staining on the wood block or the rubber but it will not affect their performance one bit! :D I have marked the condition of them. All sets are sold as is and may not be returned.
Below is the list of stamp sets I have for sale. If you have any questions, feel free to email me! All sets in bold black are still available but as they are spoken for, they will be changed to bold gray. If for some reason a sale falls through, I will change the set back to black! Shipping details are listed on the bottom of this post so make sure you read that.

Stampin' Up!

A Tree for All Seasons: $7
Itty Bitty Backgrounds (UM): $9
All in the Family: $28
Petal Pizzazz: $20
Pun Fun: $20
Season of Friendship: $15
Sock Monkey: $15
Congrats: $7
Yummy (UM): $9
Botanical Blooms (UM): $9
Live Like You Mean It: $12
Organic Grace: $9
Birthday Whimsy (UM): $9
Friendship Blooms: $7

Frosty: $12 (Pending)

Lots of Thoughts: $7
Sweet Shapes: $12

JustRite Stampers

D.I.Y. Monogram Stamper & Storage Box: $15

Special Occasions Font (296 Characters): $8

Harmony Rectangular Stamper Set: $5

D.I.Y. Monogram Stamper Kit (Special Occasions Font): $5

Harmony Classic Oval Stamper I Stamp Ensemble: $5
2 5/16" Circle Wood Stamper: $2

Taylored Expressions

Frightful Night: $15
Trick or Sweet: $15
Tag Treats: $7
Season's Sweetings: $15
Home Sweet Home: $15
A Year of Sweets 1: $15
A Year of Sweets 2: $15
A year of Sweets 3: $15
A Year of Sweet Sentiments: $15

Tools

Stampin' Up! Stampin' Pastels (unopened): $10
Heidi Swap Ready Set Tool (unopened): $5

~US transactions only - that means you must pay in US Dollars and I will only ship to US addresses.

~I will accept PayPal or checks but I will have to wait for the check to clear if that is an option you choose.

~Shipping charge is a flat rate of $5.00 for the first stamp set and an extra $2.50 for each additional set.

~I will only ship Priority which means you should receive your package in approximately 2-3 days.

~All sales are final - no returns.

If you would like to buy any of these stamp sets, please send me an email (stephsstampinstuff@gmail.com) including your name and shipping address. I will reply with your payment total and my PayPal address. As soon as I've received your payment, I'll ship the stamp sets to you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through this post! Happy shopping ladies! :D

My Digital Stamps Booklet

2011-01-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Organization has been on my mind a lot lately and so I decided to create a booklet that showcased the digital stamps I have in my collection. I absolutely LOVE using digital stamps but tend to forget about them because they are not right there in front of me. I decided to solve this problem by printing them all out into a handy little book!

Here is an example of what one of the inside pages looks like. I have organized them alphabetically by company and then labeled them as needed! The great thing about this book is that more pages can easily be added to it!

Well that's my little organizational tip for the day! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday’s 100th Challenge Celebration Blog Hop

2011-01-14T06:00:00.001-07:00

Good morning! I am so excited about this morning's post! The Flourishes team has asked it's customers to join them today in their Timeless Tuesday's 100th Challenge Celebration Blog Hop! Well since most of know that Flourishes is one of my all time favorite stamp companies, of course I had to join! :) What perfect timing too because my order from them came in the mail this week! I had been eyeing this set called "Cherry Blossoms" for quite a while now and finally decided to get it! Yay! I absolutely LOVE cherry blossoms in the spring so I knew this set was a must for me!

Anyway, the challenge for this week's Timeless Tuesday was all about your favorites! Well I would say I included a lot of favorites on this card. First of all, this cherry blossom stamp is one of my new favorites and cherry blossoms are one of my favorite flowers! :) Pink is also a favorite color and I just love using glitter (which this card has lots of, it's just hard to see in the picture). I colored the flowers with my Copic markers and added some fun dew drops in the corners of the image panel. For a little bit of extra flair I also used my Martha Stewart lace punch to add a fun little scallop.

As much as I love this card, I am honestly really disappointed in this picture. It definitely does not do the card justice. We got a new camera and I just haven't been able to figure out how to use it yet. I also had a bulb burn out in my photo tent light and the bulb I replaced it yet puts off a yellow glow. :( I am going to try and take a picture of the card in the sunlight and see if that helps with the colors. I really want you to be able to see how beautiful the coloring turned out!

Well, that's it for my post! Make sure you stop by the Flourishes blog so you can see who else is participating in today's blog hop! I can't wait to see what the other ladies have come up with! :) Thanks for taking the time to check out my card! Enjoy your weekend!

Cutie Patootie!

2011-01-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

Well I was originally planning on sharing another Valentine's Day card with you but then I decided to get crafty today and came up with this card instead! :) I have had this stamp from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps for over a year and it has never seen ink! GASP! I know, I know, I'm a bad stamper. Anyway, I bought it just after Kimmie had her very first release and then I ended up taking a stamping hiatus. I knew when I saw her I had to get her though. I find her absolutely adorable but for some reason she creeps my husband out a little! Haha! It's a good thing he doesn't get a say! ;) Her name is Charlotte and I must say that she was so much fun to color! I paired her with some of my older Paper Studio dp from the Serendipity line. She was then colored with my Copics (which I'm still attempting to learn how to use). Since I was using her I decided to go ahead and participate in this past week's Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps challenge which called for no ribbon or fibers! YIKES! I hope my flowers don't count as fibers but I thought they looked so cute with the image! Since I find her to be so cute, I am also entering this card into today's Paper Play challenge which is called "Cutie Patootie". The sketch started out as this week's SCS sketch challenge but I quickly discovered that my image didn't fit so I had to flip it instead. I really like the layout still though! As a final touch, I embossed some buttons across the bottom and distressed the edges with some Tim Holtz Antique Linen distress ink.

Well, I think that is about it! Stop by tomorrow for the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday blog hop! I'm SO excited to share my card with you! :)

P.S. For those of you who are wondering, my blog candy will be posted on a VERY SPECIAL DAY. That is my hint for you, if you've been following my blog lately, you will know exactly what day I'm talking about! :)

Beautiful Baby

2011-01-12T17:59:00.002-07:00

Good evening everyone! Sorry I'm a little late with my posting today but I wanted to finish reorganizing my craft room and I think I can officially say it's finished! :) I have a few projects I want to work on but they are nothing big. I'll be sure to show you pictures of it later on!

Now on to today's card! I decided to make a baby card in honor of my dear sweet baby girl and my original plan was to post it on Monday since that is when she will be here but I realized that the challenges I used for this card will be expiring before then! Haha! I again combined a bunch of different challenges and I am really pleased with the way it turned out! First of all, this sweet little image is called "Ella the Elephant" and it is from By Lori Designs. If you have never checked out their store, you definitely need to! They have the most adorable digital images! The By Lori Designs challenge this week was to use the colors dark pink, light pink, blue, and green. Go to their blog to see the color swatch that is posted. I decided to pull out my fun My Mind's Eye "Just Dreamy" paper pack and pull the colors from there! It was just perfect for this color challenge! The sketch is from the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge. Since this is a baby card it also qualifies for the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge AND the Scrap, Stamp & Doodle Saturday challenge which was called "New Beginnings". As if that wasn't difficult enough, I also decided to play in the Paper Works Recipe Tuesday challenge which requires you to use 3 patterned papers (one of my patterned paper pieces is actually the sentiment), 3 embellishments, and an animal. Finally, the last challenge I took part in was the Paper Sundaes challenge which required you to include circles somewhere on the card. :)

Well I think that's it for today's card! Stay tuned for tomorrow's card and don't forget that I have some fun blog candy coming up! Thanks so much for stopping in! Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!

And here is a little updated picture of our nursery and my belly! I still can't get over how big I've gotten! 5 more days! :)

Hi Tweetie!

2011-01-11T15:59:00.003-07:00

Are you ready for another Valentine's Day card? I'm telling you, it's an addiction! :) I honestly wish I had more Valentine's designer paper but I don't so you will just have to bear with me!

So for this card I decided to pile on the challenges! I was able to combine so many of them! First of all, the images are from Clear Dollar Stamps in the set called "Love Tweet Love". This is a really fun digital image set with 3 images and 4 sentiments! The best part, it only cost me $3! What a deal! :) Anyway, I decided to use it for the Clearly iStamp challenge called "Love is Sweet". I also pulled the colors from the inspiration challenge over on Crazy 4 Challenges and since I was using these cute birds I decided to enter it in the Our Creative Corner inspiration challenge as well! The sketch is from The Sweet Stop challenge and I also decided to enter this card into the BasicGrey challenge which was to use dots or spots. Finally, I saw that this past week's JUGS challenge was to decorate and line a matching envelope so I went ahead and did that as well! :) PHEW! Talk about a challenge! It wasn't easy trying to include every challenge but I managed to do it!

The designer paper is from BasicGrey's Bittersweet line and the buttons are some I just happened to have in my stash! I have been in a "distressed mood" lately (hehe) so I sponged and roughed up the edges and added a little bit of sewing as my final touch!

Well, I hope you enjoy today's card! I have been working on organizing and purging my craft room this week. I have a couple of projects that I created to help my organization so I will be sharing those with you throughout the next couple of weeks! Also, stay tuned for some blog candy! Purging means sharing! :)

Birthday Penguins!

2011-01-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to another Monday! In exactly a week, I will be holding my baby girl in my arms! That is so crazy to think about! :) Anyway, I wanted to share this fun card that I made this past week. Isn't this image from The Cat's Pajamas great??? I just love this set called "Smells Like Cake". I wanted to participate in the TCP Tuesday inspiration challenge as well as Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try so I pulled this little cutie out! I decided to keep it gender neutral since I seem to always be short on masculine cards. I think I did an ok job on it!

As for the card details, the image was colored with my copics and the sentiment was stamped in versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder. I added some stickles to the cupcake and party hats for a little added dimension. I then used some retired SU! paper and added a corduroy button with a little ribbon embellishment to finish up the look!

I hope you all have a fantastic Monday! I have absolutely LOVED being able to post a card daily this weekend and I hope to keep them coming! I am going to try and get a bunch made so that I can have some ready to post when I'm recovering from my c-section! I don't want to fall out of the habit of posting again!

Sweet Love Birds!

2011-01-09T16:29:00.003-07:00

So I must warn you. Since Christmas is over, I've been on a HUGE Valentine's kick. I just can't stop making Valentine's Day cards! They are so much fun to make. Maybe it's the colors, I'm not sure but either way, I have lots of them to show you!

For today's card, I used this past week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge. The sketch was a lot of fun to work with and I knew these cute birds from the Birds and the Bees set by Kim Hughes would be perfect! By the way, this just happens to be my favorite Valentine's set so you may see quite a few cards using it! :) Anyway, I also decided to use the color challenge from Flourishes on it and I ended up throwing in a little brown as well. Hope that's ok! The papers used for this card are retired papers from SU! I sponged the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink and then sewed around the outside and on the little pink strip. The images were colored with my Prismacolor pencils and I added a little twine so that I could qualify for the SCS Ways to Use it Challenge.

Well I hope you enjoyed today's card! Not much to update you on as far as this baby is concerned. I've had quite a few contractions but they haven't led anywhere yet. As for other news, we are getting snow today! I am absolutely LOVING it! When I sit at my stamping desk I am directly facing the windows and it has been just gorgeous today!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Be sure to take a peek at tomorrow's card (which surprisingly isn't for Valentine's Day). Until then, have a great Sunday evening!

Peaches Anyone?

2011-01-08T17:02:00.002-07:00

Doesn't a peach just sound amazing right now? Ok, so maybe that is my pregnant belly talking but seriously, I could go for some yummy peaches right now! Peaches in January are a little hard to come by so I decided to share this pretty card with you instead! It reminds me so much of summer and even though I'm not ready for summer yet, I'm sure some of you are! Here in Colorado we have had hardly any snow at all. Surprising, huh? However, back in Iowa where I grew up, they are SICK of it!

So about this card. I used one of my absolute favorite Flourishes set called Peaches and Cherries. I paired it with some super old dp that I had stashed away. In fact, I think this dp was the very first set that I had ever purchased when I started stamping! Crazy! :) I also used some fun plaid ribbon and pretty pink pearls to embellish this card. The peaches were colored with my Copics and I added the sentiment as a tag!

Well I hope you are enjoying your Saturday! I was able to spend some time with my good friend Leanne this morning and it was some much needed girl time! Other than that, it's been a very relaxing day and I must say I needed that relaxation! :)

Merry (Late) Christmas! :)

2011-01-07T22:06:00.002-07:00

So since I've been the world's worst slacker, I didn't get these cards posted BEFORE Christmas like I had hoped. I can't even believe how quickly the days have been passing lately! With the holidays and my daughter's coming arrival (more on that in a bit), I feel like there is not enough time to do what I want, like STAMP! :)

So as for these cards, they are cute, but late and I apologize for that! The first card uses the cute Penny Black snowman stamp and I absolutely LOVE how it turned out! The second one is using an older GinaK set that was designed by Teresa Momber. It is one of my absolute favorite Christmas sets and I definitely got some use out of it this year! The last card is using a watered technique that was featured on Splitcoast forever ago! I am not a huge fan of this card but it turned out o.k. The stamps I used are from the retired SU! set called Scandinavian Season. I really do like this stamp set, just not the card! :)

So as for my pregnancy, I am 38 weeks and 1 day pregnant today AND our daughter is breech. :( My doctor believes she is completely wedged and won't be able to turn so we have scheduled a c-section for January 17th! CRAZY! I never imagined having a c-section but I've heard enough about them to know not to freak out. Anyway, I think we have everything we need for her and we are SO ready to hold her in our arms! I will definitely post pictures when she arrives! :)

Anyway, I hope you all had a fantastic holiday! I have more cards to share with you so hopefully I will have the time to post them tomorrow! I have been in the card making mood lately so there are plenty of new cards to share as well! SO EXCITED! :)

Happy Birthday!

2010-10-26T09:25:00.000-06:00

So I had every intention of posting this card last week Friday since it was my birthday but it seems that life always gets in the way! :) That morning, instead of making a give-away video (stay tuned for that), I ended up cleaning my house like a mad woman because we had a surprise showing! Sadly, nothing came of it and no one made any offers but it was still good to know someone was interested in it! Anyway, I plan on making it up to you in the near future so you will have to continue to stop by. Until then, have a great day! I have to keep this short so I can run my errands for the day!

My First Spotlight!

2010-10-16T01:31:00.003-06:00

One of the VSN challenges over on Splitcoast last night was to use the spotlight technique! I can honestly say that I've never even thought to try this technique so it was quite a fun challenge for me! It is definitely much faster when you don't have to color an entire image though! :)

I also wanted to make this card for the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge which was to ink and distress the edges of your card! This part of the challenge was a piece of cake for me since I do that to many of my cards already! I decided to pull out my Flourishes set called Peaches and Cherries! I just LOVE this set and don't use it near enough! To keep with the distressed look I added some twine and vintage pearls! I still kind of feel like the card is a little plain because of the uncolored image but overall I'm pretty pleased with it! :D

For those of you who are interested, here is a picture of me at 26 weeks pregnant! I can't believe how big I'm getting! :)

That is about it for today! Enjoy your Saturday! Nick and I are headed to town so that we can get some groceries and get started on our measly Christmas shopping. I really hope our family isn't expecting much because we can't afford a whole lot this year. :( Take care and thanks for stopping by!

Give Thanks!

2010-10-15T14:12:00.003-06:00

Can you believe October is almost over? Time seems to be flying lately and it's starting to freak me out a little! My baby girl is going to be here in about 14 weeks! Woah! It's super exciting yet kind of scary at the same time!

So one thing I AM loving about time flying is the fact that this hot weather seems to have run out! I am quickly learning how NOT fun it is to be pregnant in warm weather! These fall temperatures have me feeling SO wonderful! I have always loved fall but I seem to love it even more now! I have really enjoyed watching the leaves change colors and snow has already started to cover the mountain tops! Beautiful!

I am also really looking forward to Thanksgiving because that will be the last trip Nick and I will be able to take to Iowa for quite a while! I have really missed my family and it's going to be so neat to see their reactions to my growing belly! Thanksgiving is such a joyous time for our family and to top it off, I will be having baby showers while I'm visiting! Woohoo!

Ok, enough rambling, on to today's card! In the spirit of fall, I decided to post a Thanksgiving card that I made for the GinaK sketch challenge last week! I used Theresa Momber's fall set! I just love her designs because of how realistic they look! I used the wheelbarrow and instead of leaving it empty, I cut out some pumpkins and stuck them in there! I also stamped the little vine in the corner and stamped some leaves and the sentiment for my circle piece. As a finishing touch I added a little bit of twine that reminded me of fall in Iowa (hay bales)!

Well, I hope you are all enjoying your Friday! I am SO excited for Saturday because that means spending time with my sweet husband!

Patterned Pines Joy!

2010-10-14T10:23:00.002-06:00

So does anyone else agree that my sporadic posting needs to come to an end? This pregnancy has just stolen all of my mojo from me! I'm 26 weeks pregnant and finally feel as if my creativity is coming back! I made 5 cards this week! Woohoo! I went downstairs and showed them to my husband and he said "Look! You've still got it!" Haha! That definitely made my day!

Anyway, this is a card that I made for Tuesday's SCS color challenge and Julee's Mojo Monday sketch challenge! The color challenge was to use Pink Pirouette, Real Red, and Pear Pizazz. Well I don't have Pear Pizazz so I went with Old Olive instead and I really like the finished look! I used the Patterned Pines set (for the first time) that I got out of last year's SU! Holiday Mini catalog! I couldn't believe it had never seen ink and then I remembered that my stamping kind of died off right after I had received it. :( I plan on using it A LOT more this winter though!

My friend Christine sent me the newest SU! catalog a couple of weeks ago (Thanks so much Christine!) and I have LOVED looking at all of the new stuff they have out! Sadly, we are VERY short on cash this winter since I lost my job and my husband doesn't have much work lined up until spring so I will have to be patient with my wish list. I suppose I have plenty to use here anyway!

Well, I think that's all I have for you today! Thanks so much for stopping by and to all of you subscribers that have stuck with me so far, YOU ROCK! I appreciate you all SO much!

A Mouse on a Cupcake?

2010-06-24T12:56:00.000-06:00

It may seem unsanitary but at least it's cute! :D I just love this sweet Whipper Snapper image! I colored it with my Copics and paired it with some fun Cosmo Cricket dp! They aren't your traditional birthday colors but I still like it! Anyway, the sketch I used is actually Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch! If you haven't checked out her sketches before, you should! Not only are her sketches great but she makes the most beautiful cards! :) She is one talented lady!

Well, that's really all I have to say for this post. I guess I have been at a loss for words lately! :D It probably has something to do with this pregnancy. Today was a rough day. Not only was I sick but I was dizzy too. YUCK! I am so ready for 2nd tri to be here! Anyway, enjoy your Thursday! We have our church small group tonight, something I always look forward too! Hopefully I start feeling better so that I can actually enjoy it! Bye, bye for now!

A Clean and Simple Picnic!

2010-06-23T10:06:00.002-06:00

Isn't this Sarah Kay image from Stampavie just the sweetest? I decided to pull her out for this week's Clean and Simple challenge over on Splitcoast. This week's challenge was a fun sketch so I pulled out my Cosmo Cricket paper to use as the background strips. I colored the image with my Copic markers and sponged all of the edges with some Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink. After I popped the image up on dimensionals I then added some fun brads to the corners for a final look. Quick and easy! :)

Well, I had better keep this post short today. I am feeling kind of ill (dang morning sickness) and need to grab a bite to eat before it gets too bad! :D I hope everyone enjoys their Wednesday! I am officially 10 weeks along today and I couldn't be more thrilled about it!

Technique Lover's Challenge: Magic Marquee Card!

2010-06-22T12:22:00.003-06:00

Today's card was a BIG challenge for me but I was determined to finish it! Yesterday's Splitcoast challenge was to make a Magic Marquee Card. They are crazy fun but difficult to make if you decide you want to try to adjust the size of the opening like I did! I knew before I started that I wanted to use this adorable SU! set called Lots of Bots and of course my mind couldn't be changed! Haha!

Here is the card when it is shut. Don't you just love that sentiment? It definitely cracked my husband up! Haha! (Edited to add: I just realized it's hard to read. It says "Happy Birthday Human!")
And here is the card when it is opened. The magical part of the card is that little window opens up and the "yellow curtains" separate to reveal the little robot! SO FUN! If you want to make your own, you can follow Jan Tink's instructions here.

As for the rest of this card, the paper is from the Cosmo Cricket Snorkel line. I think this paper is PERFECT for a little boy so I knew it would look wonderful on this card! The rest of the card is pretty self-explanatory but if you do have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! :D

I hope that you are all enjoying your Tuesday! It's a cloudy, cool day here and I am really hoping that it rains. We haven't had rain in weeks and numerous forest fires have started around us. We live only a short while from the National Sand Dunes and the smoke is really billowing from that fire! There is also a large fire just north of us by the Royal Gorge. SCARY! Let's do a rain dance shall we? :) Have a good one!

Thinking of You Flowers

2010-06-21T10:00:00.001-06:00

Here's another card for you! This card was made for Saturday's SCS Inspiration Challenge. I can't remember the last time I participated in the inspiration challenges over there and, let me tell you, it was so much fun! I pulled my inspiration from this wall hanging.

I used the Embrace Life stamp set from SU! and colored the flowers in with my Copic markers. I then cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals. The sentiment is from the Watercolor Flowers stamp set. I then used a variety of patterns with my background (all from the same Crate Paper collection) and added a few brads! It's quite busy, but I think I like it! :D

That's it for today, I plan on getting a few more made this morning and I am SUPER excited! :D Enjoy your Monday!

Prepare to be amazed...

2010-06-19T23:47:00.003-06:00

I am posting a card today! WHAT??? I know, I know! It's a miracle! :D Anyway, here it is!This is the very first card I have made since...well...November! I can't believe it took me this long to get back into the swing of things. I had some things come up...some BIG things...and I am just super excited about them!

Want a hint???

This card was sort of inspired by these recent events.

Ok....

I'M PREGNANT! :D

Woah! Crazy huh? I lose my job and end up getting pregnant! Haha! Talk about timing? We are so thrilled though. This has been a long awaited moment, that's for sure. With this new development, we are also seriously considering moving...again! This time, we will probably move back to our home state of Iowa so that we can be near our family. I would obviously miss Colorado but our hearts are just not here anymore.

Anyway, back to the card! I made this card tonight using the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge from Wednesday. I decided to finally ink up this adorable Penny Black set that I bought way back in September! These cute little frogs just look so adorable together and I knew they would be perfect for the sketch! The paper is some retired SU! paper as is the ribbon. I colored the frogs with my Copics (I am so glad I decided not to sell them!) and then popped them up on dimensionals! All in all, I think it turned out pretty stinkin' cute considering I have been a little rusty at this card making business! :D What do you think?

Ok, that's enough for tonight! Guess what...I made TWO cards tonight which means I will have another one to show you very soon! Yippee! Until then, have a great night!

My Other Crafting Loves

2010-04-27T12:08:00.004-06:00

So since I haven't been paper crafting, I will show you what I HAVE been creating lately. As I mentioned earlier, I have been doing LOTS of knitting, sewing, and jewelry making. Here are a few of the things I have made and posted into my Etsy shop.

I think I'm back! :)

2010-04-26T10:48:00.000-06:00

Holy smokes? Has it been long enough since my last post? Sorry for the long hiatus. I took a break from the stamping world in order to get my priorities straightened out and with a change of events this past month, I think I may be able to come back. :)

A lot has happened since I posted last. First of all, back in November we bought a house and moved into it a little after Thanksgiving. For Christmas my parents got us a puppy and he is just TOO cute! I have also started an Etsy store and begun adding things to it daily (I'll share more about it later). The last, and maybe biggest thing that has happened is that I just recently lost my teaching job due to budget cuts.

I'll spend this blog post explaining my job loss. First of all, I want everyone to know that I am at peace about it now. It was a very difficult time for me at first. I was feeling a lot of hurt and betrayal but the Lord is good and has really brought comfort into my life. I do not know how I would have gotten through this month without Him and my VERY supportive husband. I am still unsure of quite a few factors that I really don't want to get into but I know that this is going to be for the best and, to be honest, I'm kind of looking forward to the future!

My husband and I have done some budgeting and we have decided that we can easily make it with his two salaries and have no difficulties. I am probably going to take at least a year off from teaching and there are a couple of reasons why. First of all, there are no local job openings because every district is in the same situation that mine is. Second of all, we are in the process of trying to start a family and we are praying that God's timing is right in this. If it is, I am going to be a stay at home mom and I couldn't be more thrilled about that! It was always something that we dreamed about but we were never sure how to go about it with me having a job. Now that I don't have one, we feel like maybe this is in God's plan. Something else I have always wanted to do is homeschooling. I really feel strongly about homeschooling as does my husband, especially since I have a degree in teaching anyway! We are thrilled to be able to raise Godly children and I am so looking forward to having the freedom to teach what I want in my own home!

As of now, we are not planning on moving back to our home state of Iowa but of course that option is never completely thrown out. We are going to put our land and possibly even our house on the market to see if they will sell (since Nick says EVERYTHING is for sale at the right price, haha) but we are not too concerned if they don't sell right away. We aren't too hopeful with the economy as it is, but I guess we never know until we try! Nick is hopeful that if we can sell our house, we may be able to begin building our own home!

Anyway, all that said, I guess not having a job (and currently no children) means that I am going to have a lot more free time. I am already really excited about being able to keep a clean house and organizing the rooms I haven't had time to touch since we moved in. Besides that though, I really look forward to enjoying all things crafty! I have been knitting, making jewelry, and sewing a lot lately and really look forward to jumping back into the paper crafting world!

In other good news, there are currently 20 days of school left and I LITERALLY have 14 1/2 personal days left that I need to use! I was saving them for a possible maternity leave and now that I won't be coming back, I somehow have to figure out a way to use them! Haha! I plan on taking off MOST of them but I really don't feel right using all of them because that would mean I only have 5 1/2 days of school left this year! I couldn't abandon my kiddos like that. However, I am taking at least one day a week off and and will see what else comes up!

Ok, now that I have written a book, I will leave you with a picture! This is a picture of Nick and I with our puppy, Trip! He's obviously a lot bigger now but you get the idea! :) We took this picture in our new home in front of the wood stove in the kitchen. I will give more details on both Trip and the house later! Until then, feel free to check out my other blog at 320 Days of Sunshine!
I will be back soon!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday: Inspirational Dresses

2009-11-16T23:10:00.002-07:00

Weird title huh? Well this week's Jacksonbelle challenge is to be inspired by a little girl dress on this fantastic website called Hanna Andersson! I wanted to go with a Christmas theme so I chose this sweet little dress here. For my card I decided to use this sweet Gina K image and pair it with some AMAZING My Mind's Eye paper called "Merry Days of Christmas". I also pulled out some fun Basic Grey ribbon and tied it around the top of the card! The image was colored with my Copic markers and the edges were sponged with some Antique Linen distress ink!

Well, that's it for today's project! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished

Trudee Sauer: Follow Your Bliss...

Keri Lee Sereika: Pink Lemonade

Almighty God

2009-11-14T23:21:00.003-07:00

Today's post is going to be short and sweet! :) It's getting late, I'm still sick, and I need to start heading for bed! I know you have all been there before. Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying your weekend so far! Nick and I were able to pack and move one load to our new house but I must admit that I was pretty much worthless to him. He did most of the work. I was just there for moral support I guess! Haha!

As for tonight's card, this stamp is the one that Patter Cross designed for Unity Stamp Co. I just love it! I used some Cosmo Cricket "Happy Camper" patterned paper. I embellished the card by sewing along the edges, tying on some ribbon, and adding some pretty pearls! The edges have all been sponged with Tim Holtz Antique Linen distress ink too!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a fabulous evening!

I had to share this...

2009-11-13T18:57:00.003-07:00

This is my second post today but I just really felt the need to share this amazing video with you tonight. My husband and I are youth pastors so we sometimes get free music video dvds that we are able to share with our youth. Well we received one recently and had not been able to watch it lately due to our busy schedules so Nick decided that with me being sick and stuck on the couch, it would be the perfect opportunity to pop it in and watch. Woah. Who knew a song could impact this sick girl so much! The group is called Mikeschair and the lead singer is definitely not your "average" lead singer! In fact, he actually looks like a normal guy! :) He really knows how to worship his Jesus! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! Scroll down if you want to see my card!

Silver...er...Blue Bells! :)

2009-11-13T11:20:00.002-07:00

Good afternoon! It's a cloudy, dreary day here in Westcliffe which pretty much matches how I am feeling perfectly. I am obviously not recovered from my illness yet, in fact, I'm feeling quite a bit worse. Yesterday was a pretty good day and I woke up feeling much better with the hopes that it was just a short lived virus. Well, I guess I was wrong because I woke up to discover that it was attacking me with full steam ahead! :( Anyway, I took some Advil and seem to be doing a little bit better now. Let's just hope it stays this way!

Ok, so about today's card. Isn't that image just fantastic? I just adore this Gina K set which was designed by Theresa Momber (she's so talented)! I decided to pair it with this fantastic My Mind's Eye paper called "Merry Days of Christmas". It's a fantastic collection of papers and you can find it on the Jacksonbelle Embellishments site! The ribbon I used is from Basic Grey and I adorned the card with some fun pearls too!

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's card! I certainly love how it turned out! Take care and enjoy your Friday!

My Immune System Has Crashed!

2009-11-11T17:58:00.003-07:00

Yup, it finally caught up to me. I am officially really sick. I feel like I got hit by a truck. It's no fun! Anyway, I'm laying here trying to entertain myself since I can't sleep so I decided to upload a card! I decided to share this card with you since I am sick and could use some hot tea myself! :) I just LOVE this stamp set from Verve! It is so sweet and elegant! I tried to keep it as simple as possible so that I could keep it two colors and I really like how it turned out! I hope that you are all having a much better Wednesday than me! :) Thanks so much for stopping by and stay healthy!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday: Christmas Wrapping!

2009-11-10T05:46:00.001-07:00

Good morning! Phew! This week's Jacksonbelle challenge really got me for some reason! I guess I had an idea in my head and just didn't know how to proceed. Anyway, I am going to try to keep this post fairly short since I am typing it the night before and I need to go to bed. Bear with me! :) This week's challenge was to create some kind of Christmas packaging of sorts whether it be a tag, a bag, a box, etc. I have recently discovered just how amazing my Cricut Expressions is (Did I mention it was a $60 Goodwill Find???) and wanted to try my hand at using the tag creator. What I love about tags is that you can add them to the front of a card, a gift bag, a box, or even just an unwrapped gift! The possibilities are endless! So to create my tag, I took my piece of Real Red card stock cut the big tag. I then layered on a smaller tag that was cut from the Cosmo Cricket Jolly By Golly paper! The next step was to cut out the word "merry" and attached it to another layer of chocolate card stock. I embellished my tag with some fun ribbon, Prima Flowers, and hardware brads!

Well, that's it for today's project! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished

Trudee Sauer: Follow Your Bliss...

Keri Lee Sereika: Pink Lemonade

Your Next Stamp Blog Hop!

2009-11-08T22:25:00.008-07:00

Welcome YNS fans! :D Are you ready for another fabulous blog hop? I hope so! This month's Your Next Stamp release is phenomenal! If you haven't arrived here via Lan a's blog then you need to go back to the beginning! You can start this fun hop at Karen's blog and trust me, you are not going to want to miss out on ANY of the dt blogs! Want to hear something REALLY cool? Every design team member is giving away two free digital images to a random commenter! PLUS, if you comment on all of the blogs, you will be entered to win one of this month's newly released stamp sets! Fun huh? What have ya got to lose?

So are you ready to see this month's new release? First up, I am going to share the fabulous Christmas digital images that have been released! They are so much fun! My first card uses the new digital image called Decorated Christmas Tree. I love this image so much! It was a blast to color! I colored it with my Copic markers and paired it with some Cosmo Cricket Jolly By Golly paper.
My second card uses the digital images called Christmas Stockings with Merry Christmas! I think these cute stockings are just so fun and whimsical! They went perfect with the Jolly By Golly paper too! They were colored with my Copic markers as well. The sketch is from Totally Scrumptious.

My last project is my absolute favorite! :D The image I used for this project is actually from the set called "New Years Party Fhiona" but I thought she would be perfect as a birthday image too! My niece just had a birthday and so I created this fun little gift bag for her!
Now for the fun part, not only are we giving away digital stamps as well as three stamp sets on our blogs, but Karen also has a fantastic sale going on this week! If you use the code, YNSBH2 you will get 10% off your entire order!

Karen is also looking for names for Fhiona’s best buddy/hubby and if you leave your ideas on Karen's blog, you can be entered to win the entire Wedding Fhiona set!

Ok, now that you are done viewing my blog, hop on over to Maureen's blog to see her FABULOUS projects!

YNS: Happy Holidays!

2009-11-03T23:46:00.004-07:00

It's time for another Your Next Stamp challenge! This week not only do we have a fun challenge for you but we are also previewing some brand new digital images! :D The YNS designers have come up with some fantastic Christmas images this month and you are definitely going to want them! As soon as I saw this snowman I fell in love with him and knew he needed to be printed out immediately! I must admit that I have a slight obsession with snowmen! Haha!

For this week's challenge, Simonne has challenged us to create a non-traditional Christmas card which meant we were not allowed to use the usual reds and greens! This new Mind's Eye paper was perfect for the challenge! I pulled my color scheme from it and then used my Copics to color in my snowman. For my layout I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch challenge as well!

So do you want to see what I did this weekend? My husband and I spent as much time together as we could (especially since he had to leave again this week) so we decided to spend our Saturday outside playing in the snow and building a snowman! :D It was so much fun! Here is a picture of our finished product!

Give Thanks

2009-10-28T05:45:00.001-06:00

Happy Wednesday! :) Only two more sleeps until my sweet husband is home and I can't wait! Anyway, I made this card a little while back for Gina K's World Card Making Day challenge! I have always been a huge fan of Gina K stamps. In fact, they were my very first non-Stampin' Up! company to try out and I haven't been disappointed yet! For this card I used Theresa Momber's Autumn Beauty set and paired it with some old Stampin' Up! paper and Wal-Mart ribbon! :) For the vanilla strip I decided to stamp some leaves and color them in with my Copics so that I could give the card a little bit more of an autumn feel. I just didn't feel that the patterned paper was doing it. I also felt it was a little too orange! I also colored the sunflower (and yes I know sunflowers are orange) with my Copics as well! The challenge was a color challenge to use orange, green, and brown and that is why I decided to go with an orange sunflower! Haha!

Well, that's it for today's card! Can you believe how much I have been posting lately? My week is finally slowing down and I feel like I can breathe! Hopefully I can continue to consistently post! Oh, and for those of you who are patiently waiting for that blog candy...sorry but you have to keep waiting. I am just not ready to post it yet! :) Ok, well I hope you have a fantastic day! Take care!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday: Easy as 1, 2, 3!

2009-10-27T00:57:00.001-06:00

1 stamp, 2 embellishments, and 3 layers that is! :D I must admit that only 3 layers is not easy for me though! It was so hard to not include a 4th! Anyway, this is today's Jacksonbelle card and I think it's pretty cute myself! :) I used my new favorite Stampavie "Mistletoe & Mice" image again as well as some yummy Basic Grey ribbon!

Well, that's it for today's card! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished

Trudee Sauer: Follow Your Bliss...

Keri Lee Sereika: Pink Lemonade

Moosing him already...

2009-10-26T06:00:00.001-06:00

Lame title huh? Haha! I guess I should probably explain it. My husband left this morning around 4:00 to go on a work trip with his construction crew. Our winter came early here and the guys don't have much work lined up yet. They can't stucco when it is this cold so they have to build homes instead. It could be a long winter, we will see. If we could survive off of Nick's youth pastor income as well as my teaching income alone, we would. However, he only gets paid part time and I am still a fairly new teacher so it just isn't enough. Anyway, they somehow landed a job out in Kansas so they will be out there all week working on that. Boy am I going to miss him!

I love this Riley image from Hanna Stamps! It is Nick's favorite image too (he's obsessed with moose) so I am dedicating it to him today! :D I colored Mr. Riley in with my Copics and pulled the colors from the fantastic Cosmo Cricket line called "Mr. Campy". I cut out the circles with my nestabilities and sponged the edges of all my layers. I added some ribbon and some pearls for a completed look!

Well I sure hope you enjoy your Monday. It's back to school for us and hopefully this week is a normal one. We have had some crazy few past weeks due to H1N1 and the death in our community. I believe I only had 8-9 students all of last week! I can't even begin to tell you how hard it is to teach knowing you will have to do it again the following week! It's the pits! Anyway, we should have the flu out of our system (hopefully) by now!

Thanks again for stopping by! Have a great rest of your morning!

Life

2009-10-25T17:56:00.002-06:00

I made this card quite a few weeks ago but I couldn't not post it! :) I love this Papertrey Ink set and it's the first time I have actually had a chance to use it! It's one I picked up at CHA this summer. Isn't it gorgeous? Anyway, I paired it with some Cosmo Cricket paper for an earthy color scheme. I stamped the flower and leaves on card stock and then sponged the edges for a different feel. Overall I really like how this card turned out!

I love this card.

2009-10-24T19:26:00.003-06:00

It makes me happy and today I need happy. I won't go into details but let's just say it's been a difficult day. Do you ever feel like things seem to pile up all at once and then all of a sudden you are left with a world in shambles? That's kind of how I'm feeling right now. Thank goodness the Lord knows how to pick me up and dust me off. Who knows where I would be without Him. Anyway, I made this card a couple of weeks ago (it seems like years ago) and I haven't had time to share it with you. Such a tragedy huh? :) I won this fantastic set from Flourishes this summer and FINALLY found the opportunity to use it. I can tell you that it won't be that long before it gets pulled out again. What a fantastic set! Such beautiful images!

So are you wondering where that candy is? Well since my birthday was last Thursday and I promised you candy, I want to let you know that it's a pretty big giveaway, I just need to break out my camera! Haha! Hang in there! Hopefully it will be posted tomorrow afternoon!

Thanks so much for showing up today, especially to those of you who have stuck with me and not given up hope! I have had lots of lost subscribers this week so I really appreciate those of you who have forgiven my absence lately! It means a lot to me!

What a week...

2009-10-21T22:32:00.002-06:00

It's been a week, that's for sure. I don't really want to go into a lot of detail but I will just sum up by saying that we have had a death in our community, my family came to visit, and we are in the process of buying a house. I will give more details on the house later. Anyway, I say all this so that you know I didn't forget about you. I was just busy.

Today's card is for this week's Your Next Stamp challenge which was to make a shaped card. I love my top note die so it was perfect for this challenge! I pulled out Windswept Fhiona and paired her with some new Cosmo Cricket Nutmeg paper. So what do you think? It's the only card I have been able to create in over a week. Sad, huh?

Well, tomorrow is my birthday and I hope to have some more eye candy for you as well as some yummy blog candy! :D Stay tuned for that!

Here is an inside shot of today's card too.

#1 Teacher!

2009-10-14T21:26:00.003-06:00

Isn't this set adorable? It was one of my very first sets from Your Next Stamp! I just couldn't pass her up! :D If only I could look that cute when I taught! Haha! Anyway, this set is called Teacher Fhiona and she comes with a lot of other cute little sentiments and images too! I colored her with my Copic markers and paired her with some fun Cosmo Cricket Early Bird dp! Now all I have to do is give this card to it's intended owner and hope that she likes it! :) Thanks for stopping by tonight! No more school this week (or Monday) due to the H1N1 flu so I guess it looks like a 5 day weekend for me! Yippee! :D

Jacksonbelle Tuesday: Vellum!

2009-10-13T03:00:00.000-06:00

Did someone just say vellum? Yikes! :) Guess what that means, today's Jacksonbelle challenge is to use vellum! Yes, I admit that this challenge scared me but I was bound and determined to complete it whether I liked the final results or not! Well guess what, I LOVE the final results! :D I used the new Stampavie image called "Bear and Robin" and yes I know I colored my robin blue! Haha! I colored it in with my Copic markers. I paired this adorable image with the fantastic My Mind's Eye paper called "The Merry Days of Christmas" and layered on a piece of vellum to tone down the colors a bit! After adding my vellum I decided to embellish the card with some ribbon as well as some pretty pearls!

Well, that's it for today's card! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished

Trudee Sauer: Follow Your Bliss...

Keri Lee Sereika: Pink Lemonade

A Not So Scary Magical Monday!

2009-10-12T03:00:00.000-06:00

I am VERY sorry that it has been so long since my last post! It has been one hectic week/weekend! Let's see, last week I developed a severe migraine and couldn't seem to get rid of it and then, to top it all off, we went to Colorado Springs to go grocery shopping and ended up getting stuck there for the rest of the weekend due to an ice storm! Talk about crazy! We didn't have anything with us but the clothes on our backs so it was kind of miserable but at least the hotel was warm and safe! :)

Anyway, this card is one I created for today's Magical Monday from There's Magic In The Air! This week the fabulous Leigh Anne has challenged us to use some sort of 3D coloring element so I choose to use stickles (a girl's best friend)! :D You can find this week's digital image for free on the TMITA blog and if you play along with this week's challenge you could win a prize! Why not? A free digital stamp plus a chance to win? Can it get better than that?

Jacksonbelle Tuesday: Black, White, and Pink! :D

2009-10-06T07:18:00.002-06:00

Good morning! Today's Jacksonbelle Tuesday challenge is to use black & white plus one more color! Obviously I was going to use pink! ;) Anyway, I pulled out the Inkadinkado Patterned Bugs stamp set for this card and heat embossed my image with black embossing powder. I then embellished the butterfly with some rhinestones and popped it up on the card. The sketch is from Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge and the paper is from Stampin' Up! +

Well, that's it for today's card! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished

Trudee Sauer: Follow Your Bliss...

Keri Lee Sereika: Pink Lemonade

Magical Monday!

2009-10-04T22:43:00.000-06:00

ETA: This was supposed to be posted first thing this morning but apparently blogger went down and erased my entire post! GRR! Sorry about that!

This week's Magical Monday image is so fun! It's just so cute! Anyway, Nilla is your host for this week's Magical Monday challenge and she challenged us to use black, orange, and one other color! :D Stop by the There's Magic In The Air blog to pick up your free digital image and participate in this week's challenge! You will love it!

Celebrate World Card Making Day with Your Next Stamp!

2009-10-03T00:23:00.002-06:00

Well I don't know about you but I certainly plan on making some cards for World Card Making Day! :D There is so much happening today that it is almost overwhelming! First of all I wanted to let you know that Your Next Stamp is having a SALE! Karen has decided to give everyone 10% off for today only! Now as you all know, I am IN LOVE with Your Next Stamp so of course I was thrilled to be able to share today's card with you! Check out the cute spider? Did you know spiders could be cute? I didn't until I printed this one out! Yup, this is one of the new digital stamps that is being released on Oct. 7th. Now Karen usually prefers rubber but she realized that some of you like that instant gratification so she decided to do a few digital stamps in honor of the events taking place these next few weeks! So would you like to get a copy of these? If so, you need to make sure to leave a comment because I will be choosing a winner to receive 2 of them for FREE! :D All you have to do is tell me what your favorite stamp is from Your Next Stamp! Isn't that easy? Also, if you do the same on the other YNS design team blogs, you will have even more chances to win because they are all giving away some digital stamps as well! Well, that's it for this card! I may be posting another card later today. It depends on how busy things get. It's homecoming weekend here so we have been running around like crazy! Enjoy your Saturday!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday: Red, Green, Black, and Blue!

2009-09-29T07:04:00.003-06:00

Today's Jacksonbelle Challenge is to use some or all of the colors Red, Green, Black, and Blue with Jacksonbelle products! :D You can find the challenge on the Jacksonbelle Blog. Make sure to play along because there is a contest going on with HUGE prizes! For my new stuff I pulled out this ADORABLE new image from Stampavie called "Kitten"! Isn't it so cute? I colored in the image with my Copic markers and after putting the card together I used some fun embellishments to jazz it up a bit! I added some ribbon and rhinestones and then glued my card together, and Voila! I was done! :D

Well, that's it for today's card! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

AJ Otto: The Willow Garden

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished

Trudee Sauer: Follow Your Bliss...

Keri Lee Sereika: Pink Lemonade

Magical Monday: Make it Sparkle!

2009-09-28T07:17:00.002-06:00

I just LOVE this week's Magical Monday image! Nina really blew me away when I she sent it to me. It's so cute and whimsical! Anyway, I am your host for this week's Magical Monday challenge and I decided that we needed to add some sparkle to today's card! You can use glitter, rhinestones, shimmery ribbon, etc. If it sparkles, it will work for the challenge! :D Stop by the There's Magic In The Air blog to pick up your free digital image and participate in this week's challenge! You will love it!

Friend!

2009-09-26T21:29:00.001-06:00

I forgot to post this card and have had it sitting here on my desk for quite a while now! :) This is a digital image that I bought from All That Scraps a couple of months ago! Can you believe it took me this long to use her on a card??? I honestly forgot about her! Sad, I know!

Sovereign

2009-09-25T12:40:00.003-06:00

(Front)

(Back)
Well I originally planned on sharing a different creation with you today but some things have come up and I decided to share something a little bit MORE uplifting instead! :D This is another page that I created for Patter Cross' "His Holy Name" challenge! I used some fantastic Verve stamps and paired it with my Making Memories felt stickers and Cosmo Cricket "Happy Camper" paper. I picked my verses by going through all of the ones that mentioned God being Sovereign. You wouldn't believe how many there are! :) Here are just a few of my favorites but I promise that there are more I could use! These are just a few that really spoke to me and I am amazed at how much they are speaking to me still! Oh how I needed to read them today! Our God is truly Sovereign!

How About Some Unity?

2009-09-24T05:18:00.000-06:00

Here are the projects I created during my Unity Guest Design term last month! I love how both of them turned out! The stamps from the card are from the "Feel the Joy" set and the images on the box are from both of the September kits! Thanks so much for stopping by today! It's Thursday which means I'm almost done with my week! Yippee!

FINALLY! It's time for Your Next Stamp's first blog hop!

2009-09-23T01:00:00.000-06:00

You should be arriving here from Maureen's blog, if you aren't, make sure you start at Karen's blog! There will be lots of candy given away during this hop so take the time to comment on EVERY BLOG! Anyway, I am so excited for today because I get to show you three of the new releases from Your Next Stamp! The artists have really outdone themselves with these new images and I think you will agree once you see them!

First up: Skating Fun! Fhiona

Oh my word! Isn't she adorable??? I fell in love with this image as soon as I saw it! To start off my card I stamped Fhiona and colored her in with my Copics. I paired her up with some fabulous paper and ribbon to create a very non-traditional Christmas card! I think it's pretty cute myself! :) I also used some fun baubles to embellish up my card!

Next on the list: Snowman

Ack! This little guy is definitely one of the cutest snowman stamps I have ever seen! He's the perfect size AND he's cheap! :) For this card I decided to use Mercy's Tuesday Sketch as my layout. I paired up my image with some old SU! paper and colored my snowman in with more of my Copic markers! I then added some ribbon and snowflakes! After punching out and attaching my snowflakes I also added some fun pearls to the centers!

Last but not least: Scarecrow

Isn't he so fun? This little guy is PERFECT for Thanksgiving! Again I colored him in with my Copic markers and paired him up with some fabulous designer paper. I put the card together and then embellished it with some ribbon, pearls, and a button/flower combination! This is also a sketch from the new blog called Crazy 4 Challenges!

So what do you think? Are you convinced that you need to check out Your Next Stamp yet? There are so many fabulous stamps to choose from and once you buy them you will be HOOKED! Also, for all of you fans out there, we have created a fun and exciting YNS Fan Club that you can join and participate in! Check it out!

Now before I send you off to your next stop I want to let you know that Karen has generously decided to give FREE SHIPPING on all orders placed between now and tomorrow (9-24) at midnight! Make sure you take advantage of this great offer!

So do you want to know where to go next? How about you stop by the new Your Next Stamp Challenge blog! It's your last stop and you won't want to miss it! Remember, leave a comment on EVERY blog so that you have a chance to win some fabulous blog candy! Not only is Karen giving away $50 in free stamps but there is also a mystery blogger who will be giving away a free stamp set as well!

Ok, are you all sick of me yet? Thanks for sticking with me today! It's another COLD day today. The weather man said that more snow is likely to start falling sometime today! For all of you with warm weather still, enjoy it for me! :D

The Last YNS Sneak Peek!

2009-09-22T23:58:00.005-06:00

Stay tuned because in just a few short hours, these new stamps will be released and the fun will begin!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday: Use That New Stuff!

2009-09-22T00:20:00.004-06:00

Today's Jacksonbelle Challenge is to use your NEW Jacksonbelle products! :D You can find the challenge on the Jacksonbelle Blog. Make sure to play along because there is a contest going on with HUGE prizes! For my new stuff I pulled out this ADORABLE new image from Stampavie called "Mistletoe and Mice"! Isn't it so cute? I colored in the image with my Copic markers and after putting the card together I used some fun embellishments to jazz it up a bit! I used the new and fantastic Martha Stewart Snow Flurry Edge punch to create a little border and then punched out a single snowflake using a different Martha Stewart punch! I added some fun ribbon, glued my card together, and Voila! I was done! :D I was FINALLY able to play with this week's sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You and I had a blast! This week's sketch was perfect for my image!

Well, that's it for today's card! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

AJ Otto: The Willow Garden

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished

Trudee Sauer: Follow Your Bliss...

Keri Lee Sereika: Pink Lemonade

Another YNS Sneak Peek!

2009-09-21T20:16:00.000-06:00

Did somebody say SNOW??? Yes, it snowed here today. It's September 21st, the last day of summer, and it snowed almost all day long! And how do we celebrate such a strange occurance? By sharing a sneak peek from Your Next Stamp! :) Stay tuned for Wednesday! Lots will be happening!

Magical Monday: Use Ribbon!

2009-09-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

It's time for another Magical Monday! I must say that these Magical Mondays do make the actual Mondays quite a bit better! :D Anyway, today's image is this ADORABLE little caterpillar named "Eldon". Isn't he sweet? Anyway, you can pick him up for FREE on the There's Magic In The Air blog AND if you use him on a card for today's challenge (which was assigned by the talented Curt) then you will have a chance to win some goodies! Go check it out!

My First Whiff of Joy!

2009-09-20T05:12:00.000-06:00

I have recently fallen in love with Whiff of Joy and decided to purchase a few of their stamps! Here is the most recent card that I have created! Isn't she gorgeous?

Little One

2009-09-18T21:00:00.002-06:00

Here is one of my missed Magical Monday cards and isn't it cute??? :D I just love this Nate and Av image. It is SO cute! You can see the post for the challenge here AND download this adorable image for FREE! :)

P.S. I am finding that my posts have been really sporadic partly due to the fact that I don't have time to write a lot. Would it be ok with all of you if I sometimes only posted the picture with the important details of the card and not a lot of other talking? I want to be able to share my cards more often without having to worry about not having enough time! Let me know what you think!

Just an update...

2009-09-16T16:58:00.004-06:00

To see my Your Next Stamp card and sneak peek, scroll down!

With all the hype about the new Stampin' Up! policy I decided that I had better share where I am personally headed. The past few months have kind of been rough for us financially and I was already considering dropping my demonstrator-ship due to the fact that I don't have many "regular customers" and I was spending all the money on my own. It was starting to put a strain on my relationship with my husband, especially since we are in the process of building our house and NEED the money. The problem I was facing was the fact that I LOVED having all of the added benefits and the 20% discount was pretty nice too. However, after they posted their new policy, my decision was made. I have officially decided to drop my position as demonstrator at the end of September and move on to the next step in my life. I love the products that Stampin' Up! sells but have realized that 20% isn't enough to pay the bills, especially when I live in a small community and can't get very many sales outside of my own home! I have also truly been blessed to be given the opportunity to be on so many wonderful design teams and, to be honest, they have made me the stamper I am today. I have pushed and challenged myself due to the teams I have been on. I have also LOVED experimenting with other stamp companies and their fabulous products. I can not change who I have become and Stampin' Up! would require me to do that. I can not have the personal relationships with the owners of Stampin' Up! like I can with the owners of the companies I design for. I have built so many friendships through this hobby and most of it had absolutely nothing to do with Stampin' Up! I did meet some fantastic women through the two workshops that I held but I have my friend Leanne to thank for that, not Stampin' Up! Now, I know some of you are not feeling the same way as me and I don't want you to feel that I am completely destroying the SU! name. If anything, others have already done that for me. I will always love the Stampin' Up! products and it will be hard for me to give them up but I feel that it must be done. For those of you who have placed an order through my online website, please know that I appreciated them VERY much! I am sorry to those of you who will have to find another demonstrator but there are SO MANY fabulous demonstrators out there who will remain with Stampin' Up and you can find them on the Stampin' Up! website! :) To those of you who were affected by the new Stampin' Up! policy, good luck! I know that I have personally made the right decision for me and I know others will do the same no matter what they choose! :)

ETA: If you are planning on leaving me a rude comment then don't even bother because I will just delete it. I am sorry but this is a blog where I share my feelings and I honestly don't want to have my feelings hurt by someone who feels differently.

My First YNS Card PLUS A Sneak Peak!

2009-09-16T11:47:00.001-06:00

Good morning and happy Wednesday! :) It is supposed to storm part of the day here in the mountains and I can't wait! Our wet season is a little late this year but I am totally loving it! It gets so hot in the school and the storms have been cooling it off in the late afternoons. It has been a relief not only for me but for the kiddos too! We have been having some fantastic lightning storms the past few days and they have been magnificent to watch!

Anyway, last night while listening to the storm boom outside (with my windows cracked open slightly to let in the fresh smells) I sat down and played with my AWESOME new Your Next Stamp sets! :D I am not kidding when I say that these stamps are some of the cutest I have ever seen! I just can't get over it! I used my new Cupcake Cutie Fhiona set and colored her with my Copic markers. I pulled the colors from the SU! paper and then added some stickles to my image. To embellish the card I added some ribbon and dew drops. The sketch is from Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try too!

Make sure that you check out the YNS blog if you haven't! There are lots of exciting things coming up! First of all, on September 23rd there will be a FUN blog hop between the YNS Design Team girls and we will be showing you the new releases! Do you want to hear the best part? There will be PRIZES involved! :D I will be sharing some sneak peeks here on my blog starting TODAY! We have also started a fun YNS Challenge blog and the challenges will start on October 1st! Until then, help us spread the word by adding the blinkie to your blog! You can grab it from the challenge blog. Ok, stay tuned for more!

So how about a sneak peek???? Would you like that??? Well here you go! Today I am giving you a peek at one of the upcoming Fhionas and let me tell you, she is FABULOUS! Can you guess what she might be???

Well that's it for today! I will share some more creations with you later this week! Enjoy your Wednesday!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday!

2009-09-15T00:15:00.004-06:00

Yay! It's another Jacksonbelle Challenge! This week's challenge was to create a card using a Halloween or Fall theme. Now, I know I am kind of stretching it with my fall theme but I still think it's a pretty card! :D To check out the challenge, make sure to stop by the Jacksonbelle blog. Remember, if you participate you will be entered to win a HUGE prize from the Jacksonbelle store! DO IT! :D

For my card I used a beautiful Prima flower and paired it with some fun and funky (with a fall feel) paper from the new Cosmo Cricket line called "Earth Love"! I then embellished my card by adding some chipboard letters as well as some fabulous May Arts ribbon AND brass pieces from the We R Memories Keeper hardware kit!

Well, that's it for today's card! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

AJ Otto: The Willow Garden

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished

Trudee Sauer: Follow Your Bliss...

It's Another Magical Monday!

2009-09-14T07:13:00.004-06:00

Right. Magical and Monday just don't go together in my book! :) Well either way, it IS time for the There's Magic In The Air challenge and you are invited to join! This week Nina has designed a FANTASTIC image that has so many possibilities! All you have to do to get it is download the FREE digital image and create a card using it that also has some type of embossing on it! Cool huh?

For my card I used my Copic markers to color in the flower as well as color the pearls to match! I used some Crate Paper that I picked up from the Jacksonbelle store and embossed it with my swirls embossing folder!

Well that's it for today's card! I'm off to school! :)

TESC82: Joy!

2009-09-11T22:47:00.002-06:00

Joy = Coloring a new stamp with COPICS! :)

Yes, I finally took the plunge. I bought myself some Copics and I couldn't be happier about it! I absolutely LOVE how they color! They are amazing! Anyway, I pulled out my new Penny Black "Warm & Cold" stamp and colored it in with the Copics. The sketch is this week's Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge and the paper is last year's SU! Christmas paper!

Well, that's it for today's card. Make sure you stop by Taylor's blog to see her card! I can't wait to see what you create with this week's sketch!

Want to see more? Sure you do! Make sure you check out the rest of the fabulous Cupcake Samplers! They're sure to be great!

Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
Donna Baker: Serenity in Stamping
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink a Stamp
Vicki Chrisman: This Art That Makes Me Happy
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

It's Cuppies Birthday!

2009-09-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

I will never forget that day a year ago when Taylor released her very first stamps from Taylored Expressions! I was so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful opportunity and I guarantee that I will never forget the experience! Well, one year later, Taylor has released LOTS of other sets but those first few will always hold a special spot in our hearts! This set is one of those sets. It is called "Frightful Night" and it is still one of my very favorite sets! This set along with "Trick or Sweet" and "Sweet Celebration" are 40% off this week so make sure you snag them! For my card I pulled it out along with the very first Key Ingredients kit! :) I was surprised that I still had some left but decided that I might as well use it for old time's sake! The sketch is this week's SCS Sketch Challenge and the ribbon is SU! retired Tangerine Tango.

Now if you haven't stopped by Taylor's blog, make sure to do so! There are lots of cool things happening over there that I am sure you won't want to miss! Enjoy your Saturday!

TESC81: Pendant Park

2009-09-04T09:11:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! Is everyone ready for a LONG weekend? I know that I am! Well today brings us to another Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge and this week's is a little bit of a challenge! For this card I decided to pull out my new Pendant Park set from Stampin' Up!. I didn't mean to get this set but accidentally ordered two for a customer and decided to just keep it for myself instead of deal with sending it back. I am actually kind of glad I did because it really is a neat set! Along with this set I also pulled out some retired SU! paper and embellished the card with a Baja Breeze corduroy button and Kraft ribbon.

Well, that's it for today's card. Make sure you stop by Taylor's blog to see her card! I can't wait to see what you create with this week's sketch!

Want to see more? Sure you do! Make sure you check out the rest of the fabulous Cupcake Samplers! They're sure to be great!

Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
Donna Baker: Serenity in Stamping
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink a Stamp
Vicki Chrisman: This Art That Makes Me Happy
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Hang On While I Scream....

2009-09-03T21:48:00.003-06:00

So, do you remember THIS post? I discovered this fantastic new line of stamps called "Your Next Stamp" and completely fell in love with their images! They are just fabulous! Anyway, after ALL of the submissions for their new DT I had decided that I probably wouldn't be chosen because there were so many wonderful entries. However, yesterday after I had gotten home from school, I received an email from the owner (Karen) and was told that I had been picked to join the team! Apparently the announcement was posted on the blog early and since I couldn't check it at school, I was unaware! Talk about a jump and scream moment! My husband thought I had lost it! Haha! Well, I guess that means I will be doing my best to showcase their stamps now! :D I can't even begin to tell you how excited that makes me! We have already gotten to see what's coming and I am just THRILLED! Ok, that's enough of my rambling! Check out the store if you haven't! You will love it!

A Fabulous New Contest With a Not So Fabulous Card! :(

2009-09-01T00:00:00.004-06:00

WARNING: Do not look too closely at this card. It's definitely not a work of art!

Can you tell I am not happy with my card? The stamps are cute, just not the card! This week's Jacksonbelle Challenge was to create a card with only one layer. EEEK! One layer? That's impossible! Ok, so not impossible for some, just for me. Anyway, this card is pretty ugly so I am sorry. However, if you choose to play along this week, you could possibly win a pretty fab prize! Check out the Jacksonbelle Blog!!

Here are the deets: Starting Today we (the fantastic Design Team and I) will be posting the Tuesday Challenges, and THIS month all the challenges will be what you need to follow for the contest! We’d LOVE for you to play along!
The grand prize winner will receive a $50.00 Gift Certificate to my store! 2nd Place, $30.00 and 3rd place $15.00! There will be a goodie package going out to ALL winners!! If you decide to play each week, you will need to email your card to jacksonbelleembellishments@gmail.com. Make SURE to link your card to the store blog as well. That way we can ALL see the cards and your name will be entered into a random drawing. THAT person will also win a goodie bag!
SO, here's the rules. You have to use Inkadinkado, Stampavie, Prima or Basic Grey stamps. (Any stamps that can be purchased at the store) as well as use one of our Tuesday challenges that I will post here each Tuesday! You can enter as many times as you’d like! As always, we will post coordinating Keywords for the challenges if you are posting on Splitcoaststampers.com, so we will all be able to see your card(s)!
Following the last Tuesday’s challenge (Sept. 28th), you will have until Thursday, Oct. 1st at midnight (EST) to get your cards to us! After that, the design team and I will need a few days to decide on the winners!! Make sure to check out the design team’s blogs and store blog each week for LOTS of inspiration using the weekly challenges! We hope you will have time to play with us and if you have ANY questions, please feel free to ask!

As for my card details, I used one of the new Inkadinkado sets called "Spider Web" which you can find in the Jacksonbelle Store!

Well, that's it for today's card! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Kristine Breach ~ Ink Something

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Mitzi Koons ~ Stamps Jubilee

Loretta Lock ~ Love to Create

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Melissa Bove: Keepsakes By Melissa

Jennifer Buck: The Buck Stamps Here

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

AJ Otto: The Willow Garden

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished

Check Out My Newest Teaching Tool!

2009-08-30T23:16:00.007-06:00

So do you want to know what is taking up most of my time? I got a new "toy" in my classroom that I am trying to figure out how to use. It's one of the coolest things I have ever seen and I want to make sure that my kids can enjoy it today so I spent ALL weekend researching and working with it. It's called a SMART Board and it's basically a fancy shmancy interactive white board that is hooked up to a computer. Here is a video that shows exactly how it works and I have then uploaded a video of Nick playing with the one in my classroom! Take a look! If you haven't seen one of these, it will blow your mind!

It's Magical Monday....

2009-08-30T15:25:00.003-06:00

And I have failed again! I have to figure out how to start prioritizing my time because I obviously have been too busy lately! It's usually not a problem, I just am not used to being gone all day so I tend to forget how limited my stamping time now is. Anyway, even though I don't have a card for you, I wanted to make sure that you took a peek at the "There's Magic In The Air" blog so that you can see this week's FREE digi stamp as well as the challenge that Nina has given us. I am off to school for now! I hope to get a card completed later this evening!

A TSG Reunion!

2009-08-29T14:28:00.002-06:00

This week There She Goes is celebrating their one year anniversary and to help them celebrate they have asked me and my fellow TSG alumni Denise and Wendy to join them for a little reunion on the TSG blog! If you check out the TSG Reunion blog post and leave a comment you will even have the opportunity to WIN 3 MINI SETS! :D Exciting huh? I know this week has been quite busy for the current Trendsetters because they have been sharing sneak peeks f from TONS of new sets! My card was created with one of the new mini sets called "Polka Dot Blooms" and it will be released TONIGHT! This stamp set was a little scary for me at first because it's so many little pieces but once I sat down and started creating, I seriously couldn't stop! I had this idea in my head and couldn't get it out! :D Want to hear the best part? This set will be SUPER CHEAP! A whoppin' $5! Anyway, for my card I paired the stamps with some fun Crate Paper that I picked up at the Jacksonbelle store. I loved the colors in it and was amazed at how closely they matched some of the new SU! In Colors! I sponged the edges of my card and added some ribbon for a final look!

Thanks so much for checking out my blog today! I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday! I am off to my classroom now so that I can play with my brand new SMART board! For those of you who don't know what that is, it's an interactive white board and it is AMAZING! I will try to get a video showing you how it works! Anyway, take care!

FRIDAY!

2009-08-28T08:37:00.004-06:00

You don't know how wonderful Friday's feel during the school year! I am SO thankful that we only go to school Monday through Thursday. I would go crazy if I had to go all five days! Haha!

Anyway, welcome to another Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge! Taylor has provided us with a fairly easy sketch this week and I was very grateful for that. I guess you can say I needed a break! :) For my card I pulled out the beautiful To the Nines dsp from Stampin' Up! (can you tell I've been on a Sage Shadow kick?) and paired it with my Upsy Daisie stamp set (which is still one of my all time favorites)! I added dazzling diamonds to the flowers and sponged Close to Cocoa over the edges. The circles were cut out with my nestabilities and popped up on dimensionals. I then stamped the sentiment, added dazzling diamonds to it, and stuck it on with a piece of hardware!

Well, that's it for today's card. My good friends Leanne and Hillary are coming over today sto stamp and we are then going to have a girls' night! :D I'm so excited! Make sure you stop by Taylor's blog to see her card as well as this week's featured sampler: Lori Craig! You should also check out this week's Our Friday Friend: Lisa Hjulberg over on the SASI blog because she is playing along with us this week too! I can't wait to see what you create with this week's sketch!

Want to see more? Sure you do! Make sure you check out the rest of the fabulous Cupcake Samplers! There aren't very many this week but they're sure to be great!

Jami Sibley
Monika Davis
Stephanie Hargis
Vicki Chrisman
Lynn Mercurio
Jackie Pedro

Unity Hip Hop Winner!

2009-08-28T07:40:00.000-06:00

And the winner is.....

Jennine (Craven) Chambers who said...

What a beautiful card!

Congratulations! Email Eryn to collect your prize!

Eryn@unitystampco.com

The Very Last Hip Hop! :(

2009-08-27T09:00:00.002-06:00

I am sad to say that this is my very last Hip Hop for a couple of reasons. First of all, my guest position ends next week and second of all, things are changing with Unity. You will have to stay tuned to find out more but I guarantee you it will be a great change! :)

Anyway, you should be hopping from the fabulous Natalie's blog! If not, make sure you start at the Unity blog! :D This week's hop is showcasing the seriously amazing September KOTM! Ok, when I say amazing, I mean it! This is probably my favorite kit EVER!

So for my card I used the gorgeous wedding image and coordinating sentiment that can be found in the kit. I paper pieced the dress so that it would match my card and added some pretty pearls to it. The paper I used is Stampin' Up!'s Nouveau Chic. The sketch is from yesterday's SCS Sketch Challenge. I'll spare you the boring details for today but if you do have any questions, feel free to let me know! :D

So now that you've seen my card, hop on over to the crazy talented Heather's blog! She is sure to blow you away!

Before you go, I did want to share these two pictures with you! :D On Saturday I met up with some friends at the Scrapbooking Expo in Colorado Springs. Hillary (and her baby Ruby) and Leanne (and her baby Mason) met me down there and I was then able to FINALLY meet my dear friend Maria! :D I knew she was sweet but I didn't even know the half of how sweet she REALLY was!

Here is a picture of Leanne with sweet baby Mason, Maria, and myself! Besides the fact that I look like a sweaty mess, I really love this picture!

After we left the Expo, my husband and I met up with some of our other good friends for supper! Here is a picture of me with my very favorite little boy (their 3 yr old son)! He's my joy on a cloudy day! :D Can you tell we like each other a lot! ;) He calls me "his Stephanie" and I call him "my little sir".

Bad News...

2009-08-25T06:30:00.001-06:00

I was not able to get my Jacksonbelle Challenge card done for today. Am I horrible or what? To be honest, Sunday night was awful and so the rest of Monday was ruined as well. Nick and I went to bed at a decent time Sunday and I am not kidding when I say it took me well over 4 hours to fall asleep! Talk about frustrating! I have a feeling part of the reason I was so restless was the fact that I knew school was starting the next morning and I needed to get plenty of sleep. Apparently I was so aware of it, my body couldn't focus enough! Grrr! Let's just say that I was pretty exhausted by the time school got out and I couldn't concentrate on ANYTHING once I got home. I hardly had the energy to make supper, let alone sit down and get crafty. Ok, so now that I am done with my excuses, do you forgive me? I sure hope so! :)

This card is one that I created a week ago for the There She Goes sketch challenge. I used the "Tea For Two" set and paired it with my Cosmo Cricket Everafter paper. I paper pieced the teapot and teacups and then popped the teapot up on dimensionals. The card stock used was Really Rust and Very Vanilla and the sentiment was embossed using Basic Gray ink!

Well, that's it for today's post! I'm off to my second day of school. Yesterday went very well and I am hoping that today will be even smoother! So far I am pretty excited about this group of kiddos. They seem to be a fun and energetic group. I just hope I can keep my own excitement up for them!

Until later, take care!

It's a Boy! :)

2009-08-24T06:30:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another Magical Monday! :D This week's challenge is to use this adorable little image with the inspiration challenge that Nina has posted over on the There's Magic In The Air blog! Since our good friends just had their baby boy last Friday I decided to make this card for them! I water colored the image with my Stampin' Write markers and blender pens. Just a note about water coloring with digital images. If you have a laser printer, the ink doesn't smear as much but I have found that with ink jets (like my own) if I print on watercolor paper and heat set the ink, it tends to bleed less. I then have to be careful to not touch the lines of the image with my blender pen and very little with my markers.

Well, I have to keep this short because today is the first day of school and I want to be there extra early! I hope you all have a very Magical Monday! :D

Only those who risk...

2009-08-23T17:54:00.002-06:00

I just love that quote! It's so true! :D However, I am one who tends to not take risks so I suppose T.S. Eliot could teach me a thing or two! Hehe! So anyway, I created this card a week ago and it was posted on the Unity blog but I decided to share it here too. Both of the stamps used on this card are from the Unity August KOTM. I colored in the butterfly with my Prismacolor Pencils and gamsol and paired it with some beautiful SU! Cottage Wall dsp! To embellish the card I added some Rich Razzleberry ribbon, dew drops, and a sweet library clip!

That's it for today's card! Nick and I took a much needed nap this afternoon so this post is a little later than I had planned. Now we are headed for the school so I can check up on any last minute changes before tomorrow and then we are going to do something fun! We are not sure what that is yet but we know it will include us spending time together by ourselves! :D Yippee! I love evenings like these! I hope that you too are enjoying your Sunday afternoon/evening and for all of you teachers who are going back tomorrow or sometime soon, GOOD LUCK! :)

I'm needing Him today...

2009-08-22T11:16:00.004-06:00

Front
Back

Do you ever just get sick of being hurt time and time again? That's where I am today. I am fighting another battle from within and I really just need the Lord's strength to help me up. My struggles have absolutely nothing to do with stamping but this is the best place for me to vent and share my frustrations. To be honest, I'm tired of it and I don't feel like trying anymore. I'm sick of pleasing others. I'm sick of allowing myself to get hurt and upset. I have had a hard week. Ok, really it's all been happening the past few days but it feels like an eternity. I'm to the point where I am making myself sick, literally. I don't sleep and I stress myself out. I won't be able to hold myself up much longer because I have been shoving my feelings in for so long. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings so I allow my own to be hurt. Oh how tiresome that can get.

Somehow, the Lord has provided for me. He knows what I need and He is so good. He has blessed me with a supportive husband. He sent me my dearest friend on the day I needed her the most. He has given me the gift of joy through one sweet little boy when I was not able to feel it myself. He even went so far as to have my father call me just to see how my day went even though He knows my father HATES the phone! It's the little things like those that help me to see how big our God really is and how much He really does love us. He comforts us when we need it, He gives us strength when we feel we can't give it much more, and He loves us unconditionally. He truly is a Holy God.

Now that I have poured out my heart. I want to share my project. I created this for Patter Cross's His Holy Name challenge. Now for those of you who have heard of this project you know that I am WAY behind! :) I don't care though because I really want to do it still. The first name is Holy. As I get ready to create these pages I leaf through the verses and write down the ones that mean the most to me and really speak to me. I then spend the entire week reading those verses, praying about them, and memorizing them. Obviously there are more than one! :)

I purchased the 7 Gypsies photo holder and have decided to create my layouts on the cards that fit the holder. The cards are approximately 5x7 which is about perfect for what I want to fit on them! I cover the cards in the patterned paper of my choice and print the verses in a coordinating color. For this layout I choose to use Cosmo Cricket's Everafter paper and stamped images from the Unity August KOTM. I added the embellishments and sponged the edges for a distressed look.

Here is what it looks like on the holder. We have decided to keep it in the living room so that our company can enjoy it as well. I can't even begin to express how excited I am about this project! It has already helped me in more ways than I can even imagine!

TESC79: Fabulous Teacher!

2009-08-21T09:24:00.003-06:00

Good morning everyone! I hope you are having a fantastic Friday so far! I sure hope so because it's time for this week's Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge! I am showing you another back-to-school card because I just HAD to ink up Miss Teacher Anya from The Greeting Farm! Isn't she fantastic??? I have had her for a month now and am just now getting the chance to play with her!

So this card is for the most amazing teacher I have ever met. She really is fabulous! Every year for the past 4 years her boss has approached her and asked her if she would be willing to teach a new class and every year she says "Yes."! That is amazing to me. She has literally written a new curriculum every time! If you have never had to come up with a curriculum than you have no idea how much work it is! Anyway, this year she is feeling some serious pressure and I know that for the first time she is honestly not looking forward to school starting. So who is this fabulous person? My mom! She's amazing! She's my best friend, my mentor, my shoulder to cry on! That may sound cheesy, but I mean it from the depths of my heart. She is always there for me! Ok, I am tearing up right now so I had better stop. The hardest thing about being out here in Colorado is the fact that I am so far away from my mom and dad. I LOVE YOU!

Ok, so on to the card details! I colored Anya with my Prismacolor Pencils and OMS. The colors were pulled from this fabulous Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper. After layering on each layer, I then stamped the sentiment "you're fabulous" from the Verve Uplifting Phrases set and punched it out. I then layered it on the circle and scalloped circle and added the vintage brads. After popping up my circles I then added a clip to the right side of my image. My last piece was to add the ribbon. I felt like I needed to tie in the ribbon somewhere so I pulled out a piece of retired SU! ribbon and tied it on!

Well, that's it for today's card. Make sure you stop by Taylor's blog to see her card as well as this week's featured sampler: Lori McAree! I can't wait to see what you create with this week's sketch!

Want to see more? Sure you do! Make sure you check out the rest of the fabulous Cupcake Samplers! There aren't very many this week but they're sure to be great!

Jami Sibley: More is Mor e
Vicki Chrisman: This Art That Makes Me Happy
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Hip Hop Thursday: Back to School Style!

2009-08-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to another fabulous Hip Hop! You should be arriving here from Wendy's blog. If not, start here at the Unity blog! :)

For my card I used this fun school house from the August KOTM in celebration of school starting back up. It means I have to go back to work but I can't tell you how excited about that I actually am! I look forward to teaching some youngsters! :D I used yesterday's SCS sketch challenge for my card and pulled out some of my retired SU! paper. I felt like the colors in this paper were perfect for a school theme! I stamped my school house, colored it, and cut it out so I could pop it up on dimensionals. I then added some So Saffron ribbon as well as 3 brads and a fun clip! Other than that, I think you can pretty much figure out the rest of my card.

So now that you have seen mine, hop on over to Renee's blog so that you can check out her fabulous creations!

A Card...Just Because!

2009-08-19T04:34:00.000-06:00

Can you believe it? I am posting a card just for fun! Not for a dt requirement or a sketch challenge, just because! :D I must admit that I am pretty excited! Want to know the best part? It's a Stampin' Up! only card! Woohoo!

Now, I have to tell you that this is not my design and some of you have probably already figured that out! :) Debbie Olson made this card and I knew that I had to CASE it! Isn't hers gorgeous? So here is how I made mine! First I cut my base out of Whisper White and layered on some Taken with Teal. I then stamped on a piece of Soft Suede with the fabulous flourish in the Friends 24-7 set. After finishing my stamping I then layered it on top of the Taken with Teal. The next step was to add a strip of Thoroughly Modern dsp at the bottom of the card and then a piece of Taken with Teal that had been punched with my Scallop Edge punch! I paper pierced the scallops on the Taken with Teal piece and tied some Soft Suede ribbon on top! The sentiment on the tag is also from the Friends 24-7 set and attached with some linen thread! That's it! Easy peasy!

Well, that's it for today! I am a working women again. Us teachers go back to school today and so it will be meeting after meeting I'm sure! I can't say that I am looking forward to the meeting part but I am certainly looking forward to having the kiddos back!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday: A Sketch!

2009-08-18T15:20:00.004-06:00

I have been struggling to get a decent picture of this card all day which is why I am so late posting. However, now that I finally got an O.K. picture I have to run which means I will have to give you all the details a little later! :( Stick with me! I promise I will be back later!

ETA
Ok! I'm back! :D I have been neglecting my blog lately due to the fact that I have been working like crazy in my classroom. Today was my very last day of vacation and how did I spend it? In my classroom! Haha! At least I can say I am ready for Monday now. :D I promise to post pictures of the finished room soon!

Now would you like to hear the details of this card? First I cut a piece of Going Gray cs and sprayed it with some Shimmerz Spritz. I then punched the bottom of it with my new Martha Stewart Snow Flurry Edge punch! I then layered on some gorgeous Crate Paper and dripped some Crystal Effects down the front for an icicle feel. On top of the wet Crystal Effects I shook on some Dazzling Diamonds so that it would sparkles! :) I then tied on some May Arts ribbon and added a row of rhinestones to the bottom of the card! I stamped the sentiment and embossed it with silver embossing powder, punched it out, and popped it up on dimensionals. The final touch was the snowflake (cut with my Big Shot) which was covered with more Shimmerz Spritz and embellished with a Daisy D rhinestone!

Well, that's it for today's card! Make sure to check out this week's challenge details on the Jacksonbelle blog as well as the other Jacksonbelle girls!

Kristine Breach ~ Ink Something

Tobi Crawford ~ Tobi’s Place

Mitzi Koons ~ Stamps Jubilee

Loretta Lock ~ Love to Create

Jimmi Mayo ~ Stamping & Shopping

Bethany Paull ~ It’s Not All Black & White

Michelle Philippi ~ Inside My Own Private Idaho

Carly Robertson ~ Paper in Bloom

Shemaine Smith ~ Scraptastic

Lynda Benden: Stamp Act

Melissa Bove: Keepsakes By Melissa

Jennifer Buck: The Buck Stamps Here

Jill Dunn: Ink Genious

AJ Otto: The Willow Garden

Heather Lee-Reppen: Ink on my Ear

Lindsey Botkin: Embellished