New Baby Girl

One of my cousin's daughters just had a new little baby girl. She was due in August and had the baby last week--one month early. She is still in the hospital, but save for a little jaundice, doing very well. The baby shower is scheduled for Saturday and my mom asked me to make her a card. (I already have one in my stash to use for myself.)

I have Nana's Nursery stack from DCWV and it is absolutely divine! I couldn't choose which papers to use, so I turned to Mojo Monday Sketch #94 with all the layers, so I could use a bunch of them. ;)

Here's their sketch:

And here's my card. I think it turned out so sweet. Maybe I'll just keep it for myself and make my mom make her own card...Nah!

Details:

Paper: Nana's Nursery (DCWV) colonial white cs (CTMH)

Ink: Sweet Leaf (CTMH)

Stamps: It's a girl (Stampabilities)

Other: ribbon (Hobby Lobby) foam squares

Nellie's Blog Candy

Hey pop on over to Nellie who is celebrating her one year Blogaversary and giving away a great prize!

She is just so cute and fun to read. And she has such a bright and fresh style--I love checking in over there. Stop by and look around and you'll be happy you did!

Jewelry Color Inspiration #44

This week over at Stacey's Stamping Stage the challenge was warm earthy colors. Perfect for mid summer heat.



I looked through my patterned paper stash and found--amazingly--a sheet of paper that had all the colors in it. Make my job easy why don't cha?



This is a fairly simple card. I didn't have any smokey plum paper so I brayered some on white cs to make my own. I used those fun Window Charms from CTMH to add some dimension. I cut random pieces of the patterned paper and stuck on the charms, then cut them out and adhered them to the card front.




This was a fun one Stacey! Thanks for the inspiration!

Details: all CTMH unless noted






Paper: Honey cs, Vanilla Cream cs, "Rustic Ornate" pattern (The Paper Studio)

Ink: Smokey Plum, Barn Red

Stamps: Thank You

Other: Window Charms, rubber brayer

Traveler's Inspiration Challenge #1

Okay I couldn't wait to join in with that challenge at Traveling Mama that I told you all about last week. If you didn't check over there...shame on you!...here is the inspiration picture.

Luscious aren't they? And they look so comfortable too! Well I have this stamp from Stampablities that is writing in the shape of a cute little heel. It says, "if the shoe fits..." I always add on the inside... "buy it in every color!" I knew it would be perfect for this challenge. I also used some Terrifically Tacky Tape to adhere some pastel seed beads. Those seed beads were a garage sale find!

I am so thrilled that Tina started this challenge. Her photos are beautiful and inspiring! Thanks for stopping by y'all!

Details: as mentioned plus

Paper: from stash

Ink: Blush, Taffy, Amethyst (all CTMH)

Color Much?

Well I think I need to get back in the swing of things, because this card was HARD. I wanted to play in the Raspberry Suite Challenge before it closed tonight and wowza. These colors were tough for me.

But then I saw the new ribbon in my drawer and thought--perfecto! Of course now looking at it, I'm not sure the pink in it qualifies as bright pink, but...moving on! Here's the card:

Everything is from my stash and the stamp in CTMH's Buttoned Together in Black. Thanks for stopping by!

Another Fabulous Fourth!!

First things first. When I was unloading our truck Wednesday night, I looked down on my parents grass and saw this flower.

It reminded me of Sarah's card and so I had to take the picture so I could say... wait for it..."Sarah, this buds for you!" Ha hahahahah hahah ha hha. Ahem. I also took a picture of this flower because I couldn't believe the closeups I could get!

So we spent a leisurely few days at my parents house on the coast and Saturday night we did our traditional Fourth of July activities. We went to mass, had a 'picnic' in the church hall, rushed outside to catch the fireworks our town puts on. Here's a sample. I learned (after I was there) that I should have taken our tripod...next year!)

Do you see that bell tower? It's the church bell, and my dad made that tower so it could be used again. Color me proud. Makes a great photo op with the fireworks in the background, doesn't it? Oh and that guy in the foreground? That's my uncle/Godfather/BFF's dad. He joked that his shiny head was going to be in all my pictures and I joked back that I would just photoshop some hair on his head. Shhh! Don't tell him I left him as is!

Here's our annual--dress patriotic--take a picture shot. Yes, yes those are tea party shirts ordered just for the occasion!

Notice my daughter bedecked in her glowstick glory. She (courtesy of my BFF) had earrings, necklaces, AND bracelets that glowed. She was in heaven. In fact she slept in them...

Sunday we visited each of my grandparents and made a late trip to the beach (and came home and jumped in the pool.) I didn't get any shots of the kiddos at my parents pool this time, and Little m was so funny. She was putting her face in the water...completely fearless!

I hope all of you had a wonderful and safe holiday weekend celebrating what this country was founded on...freedom to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

Okay I'm off to try to play along with all the fabulous challenges this week!

Cinema Saturday Challenge #39 Guest Designer!

I am so excited to share with you some wonderful news! I was asked to be a guest designer this week at Cinema Saturday Challenge to create a card using the inspiration movie "To Kill A Mockingbird".

I must say I was giddy like a little school girl to learn I had been chosen because of the card I submitted for the High School Musical challenge. But the pressure was on. I took on my assignment like an undercover agent. Working covertly under cover of darkness so as not to reveal the secret identity of the movie before it's unveiling. How do these design team members do it? I would break out in a cold sweat worrying that my post would go live before it was supposed to and let everyone know the movie early! Oh the pressure!!

But alas, let me tell you about my card. I immediately thought of the scales of justice when I thought of this movie. I began searching the internet for images and then came across this image of blindfolded Lady Justice. It was haunting to me and I knew I had to use it. I also searched for an image of the Declaration of Independence to use as a backdrop since freedom and justice go hand in hand. Here's my card.

When printing the image, my printer made a hazy print with grainy lines running through it. Just my luck! But I colored the image black, sponged Versamark on it and embossed it in black. I actually love the silhouette image of Lady Justice over the backdrop of the Declaration of Independence.

But can I be honest here? We're all friends right? Cutting out those teeny tiny chains on the scales of justice with an Exact-o knife nearly drove me to the brink of insanity. Do you think I could get a lawyer like Gregory Peck to defend me?

Oh and please no one tell me how easy it would have been to photoshop the image in. Where is the scrapbooking in that? Ha! Thank you all for stopping by and be sure to play along with this fun challenge! And be sure to check by with Ann, the other guest designer this week as she has some blog candy for you!

Details:

Document image: http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/explorers_history/USA_declaration_of_independence.jpg

Lady Justice image: http://www.pattaya-law.com/images/justice.jpg

Other: black and white cs from stash, Versamark (CTMH), black embossing powder (CTMH)

Biting my lip!

Okay here's a teaser for you. Tomorrow morning at 9am (central) I have a post scheduled with some exciting news. But I can't tell you anything about it until then!! Iknow! Not fair, but I just wanted to share that I am literally biting my lips so as not to spill the beans early.

To hold you over I'll share another link with you. This is from one of my all time favorite blogs. (You may remember when I first discovered it back in February while recovering from gum surgery. Scroll to the bottom of THIS POST to see where I talk about it.) The blog is titled Traveling Mama and if you haven't been there yet, you should go quickly. It is incredibly inspiring. So the link I am sharing with you is that she has started a new crafting challenge. It's a little different in that there are not very strict parameters. I am so excited to try it. And...well I could go on and on, but I'll just provide the link and let you all go check it out for yourselves.

CLICK HERE.

See you tomorrow!!

A post to make you laugh...

but it's not mine. I am just hanging around relaxing at the 'rents, uneventfully. So while checking my favorite blogs I found this post I just wanted to share. CLICK HERE for a good laugh.

Don't forget the socks!

Okay so today was fun. I had to go to the gynecologist. Yes, that kind of fun.

And I am a total type A when it comes to that yearly visit. I must be buffed and polished and in perfect working order. Hehehe. Anyway, I didn't paint my toenails. And you know when you're going to have your feet in the stirrups, you must have the toes painted right? Well, I decided I would just pack a pair of socks to wear. I've done it before. Plus the bonus is my sweet little toesies don't have to walk across that cold floor from changing area to table.

So this morning, while in the shower buffing and polishing, I thought "don't forget the socks". {No you do not know where this is going}. So then I did forget, but then later, when I was brushing my teeth for the second time. {Type A remember?} I thought "don't forget the socks." And I mentally thought, pick up heels, get socks, pick up heels, get socks. You know, to mentally connect the two in my brain so when I put my heels on I would remember the socks.

And I did. I grabbed a pair of socks and took them downstairs. Then I set them down. But I didn't want to leave them in the chair so I took off my wedding ring and set it on them while I put lotion on. {Buffed and polished}. Then I put them in my purse. Mission accomplished! They were going with me to the doctor's office.

So I get in and have to do all the paperwork updates and co-pay and insurance blah blah blah. Then they call me back. Oh and here's a pisser. I weigh in at 122. Yeah that's 10 pounds more than my 5'2.5" should weigh. So I make a commitment right there to stop drinking so much cherry coke! Moving on.

I get called back and make chit chat with my nurse. She's been there as long as I've been seeing Dr. S. So then she hands me my paper wardrobe and steps out. I change and oh how fun that is. Ladies you know the drill, strip down, try to wrap that tissue paper around you, put on the tissue vest, try not to tear it, try to ease onto the table while not tearing the tissue get up. Settle yourself on the table, while trying to make sure all sides are covered before the doc gets in the room. PS in this room the door is oddly positioned behind the table. So I sit there and sigh and readjust my tissue vest with the ginormous armholes and look down at my hands nervously and catch a glimpse at my feet hanging down. My bare-without-the-socks-that-are-sitting-in-my-purse feet. Huh. What to do, what to do. Now here are my options.

(1) Jump off the table, dig in my purse and try to hurridly put on the socks hoping that the doc doesn't come in while my bare ass is bent over facing the door....or

(2) Just deal with my plain toes.

I chose option two.

How to wile away the day...

First ask you mom {sweetly} if you can 'boil' some crayons. Mom will think it's cute that you said boil instead of bake and let you...

Then break them into bits {being sure to scatter hundreds of crayons on dining room floor} and place into muffin cups...

Eat a real cupcake with sprinkles while you wait for the crayons to boil

Take the crayons out when they look like this...

Wait for them to dry completely and pop them out of the muffin cups. Voila!

So then when D woke up he took over parenting duties and I got to scrap!

I have wanted to make a cream/white/monochromatic card for a while now and when I saw this week's Mojo Monday #93 sketch I thought it would work perfectly with all those layers.


I pulled various shades of cream out and started working. A couple of years ago, when my brother and his new bride were on their honeymoon, I went to their house and dropped off a few groceries and I think a casserole if I remember correctly. Anyway, wouldn't this card have been fun to leave there?

Thanks y'all for stopping by today!

Details: CTMH unless noted

Paper: vanilla cream cs, colonial white cs, ivory (stash)

Ink: creme brulee (first and second generation)

Stamps: Solo W, Bon Appetit, cursive alphas (Clear Stamps), grape leaves (Rubber Stampede)

Other: cream ribbon (Hobby Lobby), buttons (stash), foam squares, cuttlebug embossing folder

Jewelry Inspiration Challenge #43

I think this week's challenge at Stacey's Stamping Stage was the hardest I've seen. That bright yellow absolutely threw me. I was so tempted to wimp out and use Buttercup instead of Sunny Yellow. But no, I stuck with it. And in the end I am mostly happy with the turnout.

Details: all CTMH unless noted

Paper: sweet leaf cs, sunny yellow cs, baby pink cs, white daisy cs

Ink: baby pink, versamark

Stamps: Butterfly Wings, Fringed Phrases

Other: Hobby Lobby ribbon, white daisy embossing powder, cuttlebug embossing plate

CPS#122

If I remember correctly the Card Positioning Sketch challenge is one of the very first challenges I ever did. This week I really liked the simplicity of the design. I thought I needed to use a paper that could stand on its own. One with a strong design. Here's what I chose. This is a heavy weight shiny paper.

Remember those kraft photo corners? Well I knew that color wouldn't work with this paper, so I colored them with a chocolate marker and then I got the bright idea to emboss them with clear powder. So they would shine like the paper. I love the way they turned out. Now I am thinking if I could find them in white I could make any custom CTMH color I wanted! I also used glossy cs for the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Details:

Paper: Sweet Leaf cs (CTMH) floral (Me and My Big Ideas) white glossy (Kodak photo paper)

Ink: Hollyhock (CTMH) Chocolate marker (CTMH)

Stamps: Thank You (CTMH)

Other: kraft photo corners (3L) clear detail ep (CTMH) embossing pen (CTMH)

My prize stamp...

A few weeks ago when I won Stacey's Jewelry Inspiration Challenge I received a beautiful card and stamp set from her in the mail. Here is her adorable card and the Best Yet stamp set from Stampin Up.

I was a little nervous to use it as I have never assembled my own stamps before and I just knew I would get it crooked or sideways or something. (Remember that for later.) Yesterday I braved it and assembled the set. Whew! No problems, even with two little monkeys hanging on me and trying to grab the label stickers out from under me. Today I sat down during Little m's nap to work out a card.

As you can tell, I had to use that yummy ribbon from Hobby Lobby again. Sadly, I realized that this particular roll only has three yards! Whatever will I do when it runs out??

Anyway, are you ready for the irony? If you haven't already guessed it. That flower stamp from CTMH...I stuck it on sideways. That's funny, right? Maybe later I'll fix it. Maybe not.

Details: all CTMH unless noted

Paper: Sorbet cs, Chocolate cs, Vanilla Cream cs

Ink: chocolate

Stamps: Best Yet (SU!) Blossom Blocks (CTMH-ret'd)

Other: Hobby Lobby ribbon, edge distressor, foam squares

Crocheted Flowers

A couple of you asked about the pattern for the flower my mom made for this card. I don't have her pattern yet, but I just ran across this tutorial from Nichole Heady's blog. Click HERE for the link.

I hope you all find this useful...I think she does a wonderful job of teaching these cute little flowers!!