I am Derby

Valentine's Pockets

2012-01-28T03:58:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends! I have a cute little Valentine Pocket for you today.
Its made with half of a kraft envelope. You seal up the envie and the cut it in half. Now you have a nice little pocket. Next you take some Valentine paper, cardstock and stamps and start decorating. I used Simple Valentine paper, Tiny Treats, Simple Valentine, and Love Birds stamps. Just start mixing and matching until you come up with something you like. Stuff the inside with chocolates or whatever you have laying around.

I used the same sets and paper for this pocket as well. My daughter liked this one, my son preferred the dog. I guess we know who is getting what for V-day now! LOL, thanks for stopping in!

Thank You!!

2012-01-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

Good morning friends! Looks like its been a week since I checked in last! Hate when my real life gets so crazy I can't even upload photos! LOL!Today I have a card that features the free set that PTI sent out last month with people's December orders. I got really lucky because one of my forum friends, JuneK, sent me her extra set! I am always so amazed by the generosity of others. I made this little card to thank her. Of course in true slacker style, I just got it in the mail today. So June- its on the way! Anyway fairly simple construction, I used Mat Stack 5 under the sentiment. The polka dots are from Polka dot basics. The glittery bits are made with a die cut, scor tape and martha stewart glitter. Thats all I have for today- gotta get to work! Thanks for stopping in!
Edit: I am going to enter this in Rhonda's Thankful Thursday. Have you seen it? Its a cute idea. Go here for the details. Speaking of thankful... I am so thankful my little guy is loving his guitar lessons! Finally something he is really into.

Happy Birthday Die Cut Card

2012-01-19T06:54:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Friends! Do you see a theme lately? Its like once I cut a piece of cardstock, I cant stop! This card used Beautiful Blooms 2 and Ad Sense Dies and stamps. Pretty self explanatory construction, totally not at all what I was going for when I started. I think it looks better in person than in the photos. Anyway just thought I'd share. I have a couple of new cards in different colors that I started last night so maybe something new and different tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by.

Hello Friend

2012-01-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Friends! Today I have a different take on the card I shared yesterday. Same stamp set, colors, and elements- but arranged differently. I love this card. Who knew Hawaiian shores and Orange Zest could look so good together? Thanks for stopping by!

Moxie Fab Die Cutting Challenge

2012-01-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends! Have you been by Moxie Fab lately? Perhaps you have seen this die cutting challenge? One nice thing about this challenge was how long you have to get it done! I saw it last week and have been working on it in my spare time. Anyhow, on to the card!
I'm using PTI product here (yes, I have an unhealthy, obsessive love with PTI). The stamp set is Little Bitty Bird. The white die cut is Mat Stack 4. The blue die cuts are the leafy vine border and the Victorian Lace border. I cut them out and then glued them down with liquid glue. The die cut is adhered with dimensionals. Thanks for stopping in!

More Stitches and Swirls

2012-01-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Blog Friends! I have another Stitches and Swirls project for you today. You can see the blue panel is essentially the same, in fact I made four of them at the same time. If you are going to get out the embossing powder and the gun you might as well make it worth your while. This time I paired up the panel with some orange cardstock and orange pp from Echo Park. Orange and Blue are across from each other on the color wheel making them compliments to each other. The tag is from cuttlebug. The sentiment is from one of the Fillable Frames. Misc. bling and buttons. Thanks for stopping by!

Stitches and Swirls

2012-01-11T07:16:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Blog Friends! I have a little something for you today featuring PTI's Stitches and Swirls. I won this not long ago and I am so glad I did! I stamped the background flowers on the blue cardstock using Versamark. I embossed in white. I matted it on some patterned paper- would love to tell you whose, but I have no idea. I added a little tag (Provo craft) and some bling. The sentiment is from one of the Fillable Frames series. A little twine and some white ribbon and we are all done! Thanks for stopping in!

Butterfly Thank You

2012-01-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

Hello blog friends! I am back from my trip to Colorado Springs. It was awesome! We had a little time to sight see and I got to go to Cave of the Winds. Soooo cool! Anyway vacation is over, its back to school tomorrow! In the meantime I have a card for you. Using patterned papers from Bobunny and Echo Park. Stamps are PTI: Inside and Outside Thank You and Life. A bow and some bling and its all done! Thanks for stopping in today!

Stitches and Swirls

2012-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hi there blog friends! I have been making the effort to post more consistantly but I wanted to give you a heads up that I am going to be MIA for the next few days. However I should have a new post up next Sunday or Monday. I was a card making machine a few days ago so I still have blog fodder for the next week or two. Today I have a CAS card using Stitches and Swirls. I wanted that set so bad and then I won it at the blog hop! Yay for that! Free stuff. Layout and technique are really simple. Stamped in versamark and embossed with white. Added some velvet ribbon and some pp (not sure who its by). That's all there is to it! Thanks for stopping by.

A More Traditional Thank You

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

My Husband bought me this Penny Black stamp set for Christmas. I love the little cat. I love cats. Rather than stash away for next year I decided to use it to make a few more thank yous. I love coloring and Penny Black stamps are perfect for that. The sentiment is from Inside and Out Thank You (PTI). The base is Pure Poppy and the strip is Ripe Avocado. Simple and easy to mail! Thanks for stopping by!

More Thank Yous

2012-01-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

Good morning friends. A few more thank yous left over from my color blocking fun.
The first card uses the negative image. After I cut the butterflies I trimmed it up to match up with the card front. I added a sheer ribbon, sentiment stamp, and some stickles. The die and the sentiment stamp are both PTI.

And here is a little something using the positive image. More stickles, some bling, a button and a little ribbon. Trail is hand drawn and sentiment is from PTI Inside and Out Thank you. Thanks for stopping in today!

More Colorblocking Fun

2012-01-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

A few more Colorblocked cards. If you are interested in the technique check out Maile Belle's blog which is where I came upon the idea.
All of these are basically variations on the same theme. For the actual die cut I pasted the cardstock on some very flimsy stock as my Cuttlebug can not handle two layers of PTI card. I used some stickles on these and the stamps are from Inside Out Thank You. All will be used for my Christmas thank yous.

Bundle of Love Box Set

2012-01-01T07:33:00.000-08:00

Good Morning Blog Friends and Happy New Year to you!! Today I have the box that goes with the baby thank you cards I shared the other day. Click here to go directly to that post.

I have made these boxes before and you can find a brief tutorial here. There is no actual stamping on the box. It is made of one sheet of PTI plum pudding cardstock and a sheet of PTI vellum.
The tag is made using PTI's Tag Sale 4 die. I die cut that in Plum Pudding. Next I punched a large scallop circle out of the Happy Dot paper. Next a circle of plain vellum. I stamped the sentiment on the vellum. I stamped the baby on some scrap white and cut it out. I popped it up with a pop dot. The tag is tied with string to plum pudding button that is wrapped around the plum bow holding the box lid on. Quick and fairly easy. Thanks for stopping in today!

Color Blocked Thank Yous

2011-12-31T13:34:00.000-08:00

Hi there blog friends! I was blog surfing today when I came across this post by Maile Belles. It shows how to color block with dies and I just had to try it out!
My first card here features the Christmas tree die from Papertrey ink.I need some Christmas present thank yous and I thought this would work nicely. I have the Christmas motif with fun non traditional colors. I used some bling I had laying around and some extra strips to fancy it up. The sentiment is from Inside and Out Thank you.

This second card also uses the Christmas tree. A slightly different layout to change things up. What do you think? I think I like the first one best. Anyway I am off to sign them and get them in the mail. Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Thank Yous

2011-12-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

Hey there blog friends! Have you given me up for dead? Sorry for the long absences between posts- I have been busy and I haven't made a darn thing recently. Well haven't made anything except for these cute little baby thank you cards. Clean and simple. I used my newest acquisition- a mini T-Square to make the border frame. If you dont have one of these, you need one. Trust me on this. It makes those straight lines so easy to do! Also on this card is the baby from PTI's Bundle of Love. So cute. My mom got it for me for Christmas. The thank you is from one of the Fillable Frames sets. Not sure which as I keep them all bundled into one or two CD cases.
Some details for you: Cardstock is Plum Pudding. The white panel is 3.75 x 5.0. I added the black border all around with my Micron pen and a mini T-Square. Its a quarter of an inch all the way around. I stamped the baby and the thank you in Memento Tuxedo black. I added the coordinating bundle stamp in the original Plum Pudding Ink. I colored the other pieces with my copic marker (V06 and V0000) The baby is done with E00. I made up some coordinating envies with the same stamp. These will be going to my SIL who is going to be giving birth to my new little niece or nephew in March.

Teacher Gifts

2011-12-18T07:54:00.000-08:00

Well hello blog friends! Its been awhile. Nothing major, just the usual December madness. I have a couple of paint cans that I decorated for my kids' teachers last week. The kiddos are now on vacation but the school district I work for has us working up until December 23rd!!!! No wonder I feel tired. Anyway these little cans are from Target. They were in the dollar spot. I picked up four (they only had six and two were a little dinged). I used some old Basic Grey patterned paper and some stamps from WMS and PTI to fancy them up. It only took about 15 minutes to make both.

More Christmas

2011-12-08T06:58:00.001-08:00

Hello there! Are you all busy with the holidays too? It seems I spend every free moment wrapping or decorating or shopping. No time for anything like my little blog! LOL! However I did find time to post this card that I made a few weeks ago.I really like the red and pink snowflakes. A little different then my normal style. Thanks for stopping in today! (All materials from PTI)

Christmas Cards

2011-12-01T06:41:00.001-08:00

Hello Blog Friends! I have a couple of cards for you today from my Christmas card frenzy a few weeks ago.

This card features the Tree Trimming Trio die cut from PTI. I stamped it with the light string from Holiday Lights in silver ink. I added some bling for lights. I layered some MME patterned paper strips and some Pure Poppy Ribbon as a base and then stamped on the sentiment in Pure Poppy.

My second card features the same tree die cut this time stamped with stamps from the Tree Trimming Trio set. More of the MME patterned paper and some Pure Poppy Twill. The sentiment is stamped in Pure Poppy. Nice and flat and easy to mail. Thanks for stopping in today.

Stocking Tag

2011-11-27T18:14:00.001-08:00

Hi there blog friends! I have a cute little Christmas tag for you today. I used some patterned paper by American Crafts. I think it is called Merry Mint. The stocking is from Stocking Prints (PTI) and the sentiment is from Holiday Lights. Everything was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed. The tag shape is from PTI, as is the bow and button. Thanks for stopping in today!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

2011-11-25T16:13:00.001-08:00

Hi there friends! Its the papertrey ink blog hop today. You can check out all the details here. My card uses some yummy My Mind's Eye papers with the Papertrey Ink tree die cut and sentiment from Tree Trimming Trio. The light string is from another PTI set, Holiday Lights.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T13:29:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Friends! I wish I had a nice fall card for you, but just like the stores, I have already moved on to Christmas! Everything I have made recently is in the Christmas theme.
Today's card features the Papertrey Ink set, Tree Trimming Trio. I bought it when it first came out, so I have had it for a few years. Today I paired it up with the matching die. The paper is New Leaf. I stamped with versamark and embossed with sparkle embossing powder. The ornaments are punched from Scarlet Jewel and embossed as well. The sentiment is in Scarlet Jewel. The card base is Fine Linen. The patterned paper is Merry Mint by American Crafts. I think this may be a line from last year. I am a hoarder, I admit it. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow. May your bellies be full and your troubles be few. Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Tags and a Christmas Cat

2011-11-19T07:24:00.001-08:00

Hello blog friends! I am back from my whirlwind trip to Oregon for one last goodbye to my grandfather. I have some more tags for you today. Like I said before, I was a tag making machine a few weekends ago.

This first tag uses stamps from hero arts and a whole lot of paper piecing. Its way to fussy to mass produce. I made exactly one. The tag die is from PTI.

Tag 2 uses an older set from PTI- Take a Bough. Love that set. Can not sell it, even though I think I should sometimes because I have so many Christmas sets. I am a sucker, what can I say.
Finally I give you my cat Tiger, Santa Cat. He is sitting with my daughter. I don't think he is too pleased at the turn of events. But he was a good sport.

More Tags

2011-11-14T15:23:00.001-08:00

Hello friends! I am going to be in and out of town all week. We just got back from my Father in Law's place and in a few days I am off to my grandfather's memorial service. In between, I will be working. So if the posts are a bit sporadic, that's why. Its going to be mostly tags this week, although I am starting another project that I am pretty excited about, my SIL's baby shower invites! I am sure the first 5 will be fun (and the next 35 a chore! LOL).

And a little bigger....

This tag uses PTI Tiny Treats Christmas and a Waltzingmouse Christmas set (I am not sure which off the top of my head, sorry!) The paper is from My Mind's Eye. The ribbon and buttons are from PTI, as is the cardstock and die I used to cut the tag. The twine is from Crate and Barrel.

Christmas Tags

2011-11-12T08:24:00.001-08:00

Hello Friends! Well I think I am finally over this stupid cold. It had me down for a week, which for me, is really unusual. Anyway, last night I was finally feeling well enough to get some crafting done. I decided to break out the Christmas stamps and make some tags. I made soooo many! So its gonna be all tags on the blog for the next week or so. LOL!
This tag features stamps from Papertrey Ink. The sentiment is from Holiday Lights and the little penguin is from Tiny Treats: Christmas. I am using 6x6 Christmas paper from My Mind's Eye. I love this collection! The ribbons, cardstock, and buttons are from PTI.

Same tag, different colors! The twine is from this massive spool from Crate and Barrel. I bought it last year and I dont think I will ever be able to use it all up!
Thanks for stopping by today! I should be back on Monday with more tags.

Friendship

2011-11-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Katie Renz died yesterday and it hit me even harder than I thought it would. You see, Katie and I have never actually met IRL. I have never spoken to her on the phone. Yet, I considered her a friend. I met Katie online on the Papertrey Ink Forum, way back when it first opened. Katie was one of my first online crafting friends. She visited my blog. She left me sweet comments. We chatted through email and later through facebook. I visited her blog at least weekly. We talked about silly things, like when the latest stamp goodies would be coming or if my husband was ever going to finish the club house he was building the kids, or what sugar cookie recipes were the best. I remember going to her blog last year and reading that she had been diagnosed with cancer. I cried. Life is so very unfair. No one can ever explain to me why good people have those kinds of things happen to them and rotten people run around enjoying good health. Life. is. not. fair. So I sit here thinking about Katie, hoping her little family is doing ok- though I know they are probably not doing ok, and wondering just what is it that makes a friend. It seems there are no real "rules" for that. Friendship can blossom anywhere. It can spring up in the most unlikely places. Where ever you are now Katie, I hope you are happy and peaceful. I hope that you know how many people you touched with your life. I hope you know that you will be missed in lots of little ways, by lots of people who barely knew you. I hope you know that many people, like me, counted you as a friend.

Random!

2011-11-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hello there blog friends! Its been a week. I've done nothing crafty, so I have no crafty pictures. The past three days I have been sick. I am not a good patient. I whine, a lot. I want my mom. Mom knows how to make a sick person feel good. Alas, my mom lives three hours away so I am on my own. Lucky for me, I don't have to go to work until tomorrow. Hoping to be partially recovered by then. So what do I have to show you? Lets start with this:

That's my new nephew. Isn't he adorable? We call him baby Z. That picture was from my husband's 40th birthday. He is officially old. LOL... yes, yes, I know 40 isn't old...

Next up we have my kitty, Duncan. He is attention starved. Every time I turn around he is there, begging to be petted. Its a good thing he is so cute.

This is science! We are using some new materials I got donated through Donor's choose. Have you heard of Donor's Choose? They are awesome. There is a link to their website at the top of my sidebar on the right. Check them out, a great way to see your charitable contribution put to good use, right away.

This is my hubby's head. He likes to celebrate Halloween this way. The black was sharpie and it did take a day or two to come completely off! LOL! Thanks for stopping by today and reading my randomness. Hoping to get crafty just as soon as I get well. Have a wonderful week!

Halloween Make It Monday

2011-10-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Its Make It Monday over at Papertrey ink. Today's challenge was making your own background paper, which just happens to be something I love to do, so I decided to play along. My background paper is made with the little characters from Tiny Treat Halloween. The little stars are from Star Prints and Love Lives Here Christmas. I colored with my copics, just quickly, it really didn't take very long. Next I stamped the big Mat Stack 4 in Virdian Leaf green. I added the little Jack O Lantern and the sentiment. To get the green mat I traced around my Mat Stack die and then hand cut with scissors, not as easy as die cutting but it gets the job done. Thanks for stopping in today! Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Early Halloween Blog Friends!I thought I would share some quick little favor baskets that I made for work. Sorry for the less than stellar photography. It was late, I was tired. My messy table is in the background... my excuses are many, but the result is the same! LOL!Theseare made with a combination of stamps. I used the Mat Stack One and Two sets along with some Waltzingmouse- Wanda's Pantry. I love those stamps. Claire is a genius. I used the PTI Favor It 1 box. Its my favorite because it only takes one pass through the machine for the whole box.
Most of the patterned paper is from Authentique. It was gifted to me from the lovely and talented Michelle Phillippi. The Favor It box fits perfectly on a 6x6 sheet. And I found at that I can cut two boxes with one pass by doubling up the paper. YAY! Less work. I put these together with my ATG gun. It didn't take too long, I did it while watching Dr. Phil (yes I admit it!)

More Christmas

2011-10-25T06:14:00.000-07:00

Hey there blog friends! Its been a few days. I had a really busy weekend. My sweetie turned 40. Its so weird to me, we have been together since we were 21 so its just bizarre. I mean I remember sitting in my college dorm room talking to him about how old 40 was! LOL, guess I will be eating some more words, eh? Anyway... todays card is more of PTI's Love Lives Here Christmas set. I love those little ornament stamps. So cute! I was hoping to get all inky this weekend, but nada. Maybe today after work- otherwise it will be a quiet week here on the blog, cause I got nothing! Have a great day!

Love Lives Here Christmas

2011-10-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

Good morning friends! I have a few more Christmas cards for you today. Today I am using PTI's Love Lives Here Christmas set. I bought it for that pine bough, but it turns out I love almost every stamp in the set. I do not love the angel. Don't know why.
And here we have a less fancy version. I personally like the spiced up one but I thought I would show both. Thanks for stopping by.

Waltzingmouse Christmas Cottage

2011-10-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still obsessed with this stamp! I love everything about it. This house is stamped on Rustic White paper. Rustic White is super soft, so if you color on it with copics, be very careful. After coloring the house I pulled out my liquid pearls and went to town. It dried a little more silvery than I expected but I still like it. I mounted the card on Pinefeather cardstock. I have to admit I am not fond of this color but way back when I bought a 24 pack and I need to use it up. What I would give for a better hunter green. LOL
Close up of the house and the liquid pearl craziness! Thanks for stopping by today!

More Little Bitty Bird in Winter

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends! Earlier this week I was a creating machine, so hopefully the blog will be all updated this week! One thing I was working on was making "Winterberry" creations without actually buying the set. I really like the set but I have so many similar things and honestly I only use Christmas stamps for about 3 months a year. So I pulled out some similar sets and went to work. The tree and birds are from Little Bitty Bird. The berries and sentiment are from Rustic Branches. The star is from Love Lives Here Holiday (yes I caved last month, but I held strong this month!). The snowflakes are from Rustic Snowflake. I drew in the drifts with an American Crafts paint pen and then added white ink with my fingers. A little copic coloring on the birds and the tree and thats it. Oh I also used some of the three million yards of bakers twine that I thought would be an awesome purchase last Christmas. At this rate I will have some for Christmas 2050.

Little Bitty Bird in Winter

2011-10-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

Want the new PTI Winterberry set look without the price? Try using the Little Bitty Bird in combination with the older Rustic Branches. Rustic Branches has the lovely little tiny open circle for berries. LBB supplies the branch and birdie. The snowflakes are from Rustic Snowflake and the sentiment is from Tiny Treats Christmas. Snow drifts are made with a pencil and some white cardstock. Add some stickles and you are all done. All supplies PTI except for the copics and the stickles. The idea for this card came from Heather's blog on this post: http://pinefeather.typepad.com/pine_is_here/2011/10/introducing-winterberry-tag-its-9.html

Waltzingmouse Christmas House 2

2011-10-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Good Morning blog friends! How are you all this week? I am worn out!! And guess what? I have my copic marker, intermediate class this Sunday! I am so excited, I hope this will improve my coloring! Today I have another copic heavy card for you. Its simple in design but the coloring takes quite a while. Not one for mass production, to be sure.I created this little scene with stamps from Waltzingmouse's Christmas Cottage. I stamped the snowman first because he is in the front. I masked the snowman and then stamped the house. I masked the side of the house and stamped the trees. I got out my fine line copic multiliner and added the snow to the sides and the path way in the front. Claire has a great pathway stamp for the regular house and I almost pulled it out but then I saw it had grass.... and since I was thinking snow.... I just drew in my own. The whole thing is colored up with copic markers. The background is colored too. I own the air brush system but not a compressor so I rarely use it as I am always out of canned air. I used some crystal stickles to give the snow some sparkle. Thanks for stopping in!

Christmas Kitty

2011-10-11T06:51:00.001-07:00

Good Morning Blog Friends! Another Christmas card for you today. I picked up this stamp at a recent clearance at my LSS. I am so sorry I don't remember the maker. I looked at the stamp and it doesn't say. I threw away the packaging when I put it into a CD case. If I find out, I will edit the post to let you know. I found it! Its by Laurence Attrill. Here's a link. Basically what we have here is a lot of copic coloring and not much else. You know me, simple is the way I usually go. Thanks for stopping by!

Waltzingmouse Christmas Cottage

2011-10-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog Friends! Happy Monday! My Mondays are generally happy because I start my work week on Tuesday! Today I was lucky enough to get in some crafting. I had planned to craft yesterday but instead put my sad sewing skills through a workout as I worked on my son's Halloween costume. Today though I broke out my new WMS- Christmas Cottage and got to work! I love these little cottage sets. So so cute! For this card, I stamped the cottage on kraft paper and then got to work with my copics. Coloring on kraft is kind of tricky. The paper is a lot softer and so there is more bleeding. You have to really watch how much ink you lay down and also how close to the line you are. All the bright white is from my Signo Gel pen. I think it did a fine job with the snow. I added a sentiment at the top and thats it! Actually even though its a simple card, it did take a good 45 minutes to color. Definitely not for mass production! Thanks for stopping by today. I made more than one card today so I should be able to update at least a few times this week.

For My Drinking Buddies...

2011-10-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends! How is everyone out in blog land today? I have got some serious crafting to do later today after I finally get my chores done. For some reason I am moving slow today. I've got new WMS stamps all over my desk and I want to play with them. First though I need to hit the grocery store, vacuum, and finish the laundry. Enough with the mindless chatter, on to today's cards.I don't know about you but I love a good happy hour with my girls. I don't go every Friday or anything, but when we do go its always a really good time! So I love this little sentiment on the first card! These stamps are all from My Favorite Things. I got them at a deep discount from my Local Stamp Store.
The main difference between the two cards is the glitter on the glasses. I LOVE glitter. I might go back and put some on the non-glittered card. We are having a big happy hour this Friday so maybe I will actually use these cards. Thanks for stopping by! Have an awesome Sunday.

Happy Halloween- Waltzingmouse Style

2011-10-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends! I got my WMS order last night! LOVE, love, love these new little cottages designed by the fabulous Claire Brennan. I combined two sets to make this little scene and then I added that tree from MSE to create a little "mash up". The cottage is from the Cottage Home set and all the Halloween elements (not the tree) are from Hocus Pocus. Aren't they fabulous??? Lots and lots of copic coloring, some distress inking, and thats it. The card size is a 5.5 square. My scene was too big for a regular A2. Thanks for stopping in today!

More Christmas and Some Sad News

2011-10-06T06:39:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! I have another Christmas Card for you today. Another PTI set, Love Lives Here, Christmas. Its one of those cards that I found very difficult to photograph. I make no claims to being a photographer! Anyway I used the sending you die to cut the arch and then just stamped it up. Quick, easy and flat for sending!

Now for my sad news, my grandpa- my last biological grandparent- passed away yesterday. He had lived a long life but its always so sad when the good ones go. I will miss him. The picture below is of him, my late grandmother, me (age 3) and my brother (newborn). That's how I remember my grandpa. He was an awesome person.

More Lights!

2011-10-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Hi! Good Morning Blog Friends! I have another couple of cards using PTI Holiday Lights. Same basic idea as yesterday, with some variation on the theme. On the first one I used a Spellbinder's rectangle to emboss a rectangle on the background. I then masked and stamped on the light cord and the star lights. After they were stamped I came back in with some stickles.
On the second card I extended the cord a little bit with my black pen. Next I hand drew in a black frame. I again added stickles to the lights. Thats it! Easy Peasy! Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Lights

2011-10-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggy friends! Thanks so much for your comments yesterday. Comments always make me way happier than they probably should, LOL. And thanks Joyce, for agreeing with me about the spelling of layers with a z. I just can't stand it. Its kind of like cheese its- the actual box has it written as Cheez Its. I just can't stand it! LOLToday I have a Christmas card for you. I have actually made a few Christmas cards over the last few weeks. I took pictures when I had the camera out for Make it Monday yesterday. Today's card uses a new set from PTI. It was designed by Dawn McVey. I think its called Holiday Lights. I love how the string is separate from the light bulb stamps. If I could change anything, I would add a light bulb that could be colored. Anyway this card is quick and easy- perfect for mass production- if I did that kind of thing (I don't). Cord is stamped in silver, lights in pure poppy and virdian leaf. A little bit of scoring and silver sentiment and we are all done. As always, thanks for coming by.

Make It Monday- Make Your Own Washi Tape

2011-10-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Well I am back! Sooner than I thought too, probably because of this Make It Monday, from Papertrey Ink. Nichole Heady had this genius idea to make your own Washi tape. Check out all the details here. It was so simple and easy. I was totally wishing I had some fatter scor tape. I used the 1/2 inch tape on my card. I stamped with with the diamonds from A Little Argyle. The sentiment is from the Mat Stack 2 Collection. The underlayer is the Mat Stack 2 Layerz (can I just say that I hate Layers spelled with a z. Its completely tacky. Thank you for hearing my rant.) stamped with the diamonds from A Little Argyle. Ink colors are Aqua Mist, Ocean Tides, Raspberry Fizz, and Color Box Lime Pastel. All products Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise noted.

Still Got Nothing...

2011-09-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Blog Friends! I have been having a hard time creating lately. School (aka work) has been eating up a lot of time. Its soccer season here too. Most importantly though, I just haven't felt like it. I go sit down, I putter a little bit and then get up and walk away. I made four Christmas cards the other day and then haven't felt the need to photograph them. It's kind of weird. However, I create and blog because I like too- not because I have an obligation or anything- so I decided I will just take a break. When I finally feel the "mood" come back then I guess I will be back to posting. I don't tell you this to sound self important, and no one has sent me emails wondering where I have gone, I just tell you because I feel bad letting my blog sit without updating. As a blog reader, I always wonder whats up when there are no updates for a long time. So anyway that is whats up here. Nothing staggering or earth shattering, just me not "feeling it". Take care blog friends and as always, thanks for stopping in!

WMS- a PaperCrafts Reject

2011-09-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

I submitted this to the latest PC magazine call. It was for masking (and also a spring theme). It didn't get picked up but I still like it. That little chick is one of my favorite WM stamps. I love it. So anyways, lots of masking. Then I colored with my copics and then I added some fun stickles and some cute paper trim. Thanks for stopping in! I know I have been real sporadic lately- just life going a bit crazy on me. Hopefully I will settle in soon.

Hello

2011-09-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! I actually have a card for you today! I made this with some new patterned paper I picked up at my LSS last weekend. The fruit paper is from doodlebug and the polka dot from cottage press. They were both in 6x6 collections. The stamped fruits are from hero arts. A cute little small set that I do not know the name of. I think the sentiment was in the same set. Its based on a sketch from Papercrafts mag. Thats all I got. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Mail!

2011-09-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Friends! Sorry its been so long since I have had crafty things up. Mostly I just haven't been feeling in a crafty mood. I did make two big projects (a book for my husband and present for someone else) but neither will be blog fodder. Hoping to get back into the swing of things soon. So for today's card I used a new stamp I got at my LSS. Its from My Favorite Things- Pure Innocence. Can't remember the stamp set name and I am too tired to go look. Anyway I pieced the dress, shoes, and socks and also the little bird. Everything else got colored with copics. The grass was drawn in with my copic multiliner. The paper is from Echo Park (Its new, I think its called Happy something or other- sorry I am not good with details). Thanks for stopping by!

Rosemary for Rememberance

2011-09-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

As always on this day, I remember September 11, 2001. I spend some time thinking of those who sacrificed everything, of those who were taken too soon, and of those who are still sacrificing today. I hope you will join me in reflection as we take some time from our busy lives to remember.

Back to School Cookies

2011-09-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! Can you believe its September? That summer just flew by! I am going back to work tomorrow. We had some work days last week and on the first one I brought in these cookies, complete with little cutie tags. I used the PTI tag die and apple die. The apple stamp is from Fruit Fusion, the scallop border is from Beyond Borders, the scallop circle is from one of the Tag Its and the Just for You is from a Fillable Frame set. All stamps from PTI. I got the bakers twine from Crate and Barrel last year. There is so much I will never be able to use it all! LOL

Ever So Grateful

2011-08-29T08:42:00.001-07:00

Another acorn card, another example of crappy photography- again my apologies. :) Everything PTI, except for ink and the patterned paper. That paper is from echo park. Speaking of paper- I think I need to take a little trip down to my LSS because I heard they have some new 6x6 pads in. Yeah, I know I need paper like a hole in the head- but when has that ever stopped me before? Also going to look for some more chalk ink while I am there, sure it stains the stamps but it stamps very nicely.
Its my last few days off before the official start of my school year. I am trying to enjoy it. My house (exterior) is getting painted, the kids are off at school, and so far I have spent a lot of time laying around doing not to much! But Wednesday and Thursday are mandatory workdays and on Tuesday we are back in business for the 11-12 school year! Thanks for stopping by!

Fall Birthday

2011-08-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Good Morning! I just noticed this picture looks a little blurry. Please excuse my poor photography skills. I've got another card and envie combination today. I used the new PTI set called Autumn Acorns. I really like the Acorns. I only wish they would have included an outline acorn for those times when you want to color. Ah well, can't have everything. Most items are from PTI. The polka dot paper is from K&Co. The inks are all chalk inks by Versamagic.

I did up the inside too with a little rustic cream paper and some avocado ink. (Yeah, I had to fix a big smudge, LOL) Thanks for stopping in. And thanks too for your opinions on the dies and envies, I love hearing what everyone else thinks!

Sunflower Card and Matching Envie

2011-08-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Another card with the sunflower set from PTI. Alot of masking on this one. I masked the flower on both the card and the envelope to add the leaves and other flowers. Then I masked the leaf to add the frame. The frame on the envelope is one of my favorite uses for Fillable Frames. I have started creating more matching envelopes but then I wonder if I am wasting a good envelope because lots of times my cards just sit in a box. Am I now condemning the envelope to sit too? I could make the envelope right before sending but I rarely do, usually if I am ready to send a card I am in a hurry (like 4 days passed the deadline). What do you do with your envelopes?

Do You Like Dies?

2011-08-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

So I have noticed the latest thing is to have dies for all the stamps. Lots of companies are making their own dies (PTI, MTF, Hero Arts) and some make stamps to fit existing dies (WMS). At first I was buying them all up but then I noticed that except for a few I really wasn't using them all that much. Take for example the card above. The stamps are from PTI and both the flower and the leaves have coordinating dies. Now I didn't buy them. I cut those out and really it didn't take that long. I left a little white border like the die does because sometimes I like that look. I also saved some cash because I didn't need to get the die and I can get the same (or similar) look. Now of course if it hurts your hands to cut or something those dies could come in real handy. I do still buy border dies and I love nesties and frames. I am a huge fan of Waltzingmouse's stamps that match the spellbinder nesties. Such great little frames. I am also a fan of PTI's fillable frames series. I have matching dies for most of those because I tend to use them on things that I mass produce. So what's your opinion?
Card Deets:
All supplies from PTI except for ink. Ink is from versamagic chalk inks (the little dewdrop ones)

Long Time...

2011-08-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

No write, no stamp, no taking photos. I don't even really have a good excuse. I have been busy getting ready for school to start back up, my kids went back last week as well. Honestly though, I just haven't felt like working on anything. I hate to let my blog sit weeks on end (I hate it when others do that! LOL) but I just dont have anything to contribute right now. Hopefully I will be back at it soon. In the meantime I hope you are enjoying the last of your summer.

I made this a month ago. I think it was for a challenge but then I never got around to posting it. All products from PTI.

My Baby Girl is 11

2011-08-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hi there blog friends! I hope you will indulge me as I write up a little post for my beautiful girl who is now 11! People, I cant keep a plant alive. How did I end up with an 11 year old child? And she has turned out so lovely too; sweet, kind, and beautiful. I am lucky to be her mom. A few pictures of the birthday girl:

Pre-Teen Birthday Party Favor Boxs

2011-08-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hi there blog friends! My little girl is turning 11 on Monday and today we are celebrating with a party at the gymnastics studio. Even though the gym puts together most of the party I thought some party favors were in order. Its kind of hard to know what to do with girls this age- that whole in between stage.

I decided to use PTI favor box #3. I cut them out with my cuttlebug in three different colors. You can get two boxes out of one sheet of 8.5 x 11 or 2 boxes out of one sheet of 12x12. The 12x12 works better as you will sacrifice a little of the side on the smaller paper. I've got a couple of different sets here: PTI: Just for You, Floral Fusion, and Vintage Labels.

Inside the boxes are these handmade jewelry kits. We bought a thing of beads at Michaels. We also bought some beading thread and some charms. Each kid got a tablespoon full of beads, enough thread for a bracelet, and a charm. We used a spellbinder's die (labels one) to make the topper. I filled out the rest of the box with some suckers and some hard candy.

Remember/ Thinking of you card

2011-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Here's another card I made using the Remember Set. I used an orange zest, pure poppy, and ripe avocado color scheme. That long green piece was made by trimming out the end with a spellbinder labels one die. I think everything else is pretty self explanatory. Thanks for stopping in!

Stuff

2011-08-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hi Blog friends! Quick check in and card for you today! I have been out of town for the last week because my mom was suffering some health problems. Just got back home last night and I am worn out. But I had some cards that I made before I left and here is one of them. I used a kraft base. I embossed it with a spellbinders rectangle. I added some pp and a square stamped with the bird from Iconic Images. The small medallions and sentiment are from the same set. All products are from PTI.

Embellish Magazine Color Challenge

2011-08-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Wow look at that, two posts in one day! Will wonders never cease? LOL! I made this for the embellish magazine color trends challenge. You can see all the details here. For this card I used a base of Hibiscus Burst. I layered on some Lemon Tart bitty boxes patterned paper. I stamped the leaf on New leaf card and cut it out. I stamped the flowers from Flower Garden on Hibiscus burst card and then stamped them again with bitty backgrounds gingham. I cut out everything and glued it down. The sentiment is from Iconic Images. All supplies are from Papertrey Ink.

All White Ink

2011-08-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hi blog friends! I made this card for a challenge. Then I realized that I read the challenge incorrectly and it didn't even qualify! Story of my life, I tell ya. I do like the way it came out. I am using a few PTI sets. The flowers and stems are from Honey Bees. (They are the reason I can not sell that set). The frame is from Fillable Frames and the sentiment is from one of the Floral Fusions. Everything is stamped in Fresh Snow ink. Then I went back and added lots of little bling centers. Thats it! Simple, easy, and cute too. Bling is also small, so it will mail just fine. Thanks for stopping in today!

Water Pitcher Set

2011-08-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

Hi there blog friends! I have a full card set for you today. It features the water pitcher from PTI's Iconic Images. Also used on the card is the frame from vintage labels.

The whole set.

The pink cards.

The aqua cards.

Close up of the envelope. Thanks so much for stopping by! If my ipod is finally charged I am off to go running! (Something I do not enjoy but have been doing faithfully for the past 3 months.) I have so many complaints about running and exercise perhaps it needs its own post. I haven't done a whiny exercise post in so long! LOL!

Colorful Vines

2011-08-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello there blog friends! I have a colorful card for you today using an older set from PTI- Beyond Basics Borders. Its pretty self explanatory. I stamped the border in a variety of colors, chopped it up and reassembled it. I added a sentiment and some polka dots. I also inked the edges in white. That's all there is to it! Thanks for stopping in!

Poppies

2011-08-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Good morning blog land! I have a card using an older PTI set, Remember. I have had this set for quite awhile and I love how many different looks you can get from the stamps included in it. It has solid stamps for the flower color and then line stamps for the design. On the actual card I just used the line stamp and then colored with my copics. On the envelope I used the solid and line stamp in combination. The dotted frame on the envie is from Fillable Frames. The stems and sentiment are all from Remember.

Close up of the card. The frame is hand drawn. I used a white panel on a white card. I did this because of the copics, they bleed through and I didn't want to line the card. In an effort to use more of what I make, this card is written in and waiting to be posted. Yay! Thanks for stopping in today!

Masculine Thank You

2011-08-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well at least I think its a masculine thank you. I sent it to a man, so hopefully he wasn't thinking it was a frilly girl card. I wanted to put ribbon on it but instead settled for twine. All products are from Papertrey Ink. The stamp sets are Inside and Out: thank you and Through the Trees.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Its summer so we have been traveling off and on. My kids are out of school so I have been taking them places and hanging out with them. I really haven't done a whole lot of crafting lately. I did, however, upload quite a few pics today so I should have some blog fodder this week. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Shady Tree Studio Blog Hop

2011-07-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! Guess what? Shady Tree Studio is about to release new stamps! Please check them out on Nancy's blog. The design team is having a blog hop to celebrate the new release. If you came here from Roxie's blog you are in the right place. If you are just stopping by, go to Nancy's blog and start there- that way you won't miss a thing! You can win some free stamps, so check out the rules because you'll need to leave some comments.

What do you think of this? I just love that little reindeer, the bow is a seperate stamp too- gives you even more options. I used a little big of masking on this with both the tree and deer. When I got done building my scene I colored it up with my copic markers. Next I covered all the images with glassy accents. My daughter loves this card. Her favorite part is the glassy accents. Its a little difficult to photograph but it gives the card a really cool look. The sentiment is stamped on the bottom in white ink and scored above and below with my scor pal.
One more view:

Thanks for coming by. Your next stop on the hop is Joanne . Off you go!

Shady Tree Studio Christmas in July (New Stamps!)

2011-07-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

I've got new cards over at Shady Tree Studio! Come say hi!

Shady Tree Studio Christmas in July (more new stamps!)

2011-07-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

I've got a post over at Shady Tree Studio today! Come see us!

Shady Tree Studio Christmas in July (New Stamps!)

2011-07-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Shhhhhh... my post day isn't until Wednesday but I have a little something I want to show you. Its made with brand new stamps from Shady Tree Studio!

Isn't that the cutest little snowman? Don't you just love his primitive style? Cute little buttons? This is a little tag I made using a die from Quickutz. All the stamps are from Shady Tree Studio and will be released on July 29th. Pretty simple construction here. Die cut the kraft paper. Then stamped it up with a variety of inks. Colored the snowman using copics and American Crafts slick writer in white. I added some buttons and a pretty ribbon to finish it off.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

2011-07-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

My little guy, my baby, turns 8 today! Where has the time gone? We had a party yesterday where he ripped it up with all his little buddies. It was fun. We rented a ginormous waterslide. Totally worth the money. It entertained all the boys the whole time, and my daughter too! Here are a few pictures of the boy over the years:

And here he is today: He is 8!

You're too Kind

2011-07-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

Almost no stamping on this one! I've got some double sided patterned paper, kraft cardstock, orange ribbon and one PTI sentiment stamp. A little bit of punching action and some rounded corners and its good to go. I love that paper, its Echo Park's Summer Days

Baby Shower Ensemble

2011-07-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

Hi there blog friends! One of my college friends is expecting and had a baby shower last Saturday. I bought out the Carter's store and while I was there I saw this adorable bag. (Note I did NOT stamp on the bag- it came that way). I thought it was perfect and I could easily make a matching card and tag.

First up the tag. It features the little frog from PTI boy basics. I used one of the tag dies (can't remember which one- sorry.) Some ribbon to look like water and orange button for the sun.

Last we have the card. Same froggy. Sentiment from Baby button bits. Doodle bug button with PTI ribbon. A little copic and white pen work and we are good to go. Thanks for stopping by!

Shady Tree Studio's Christmas in July! (3)

2011-07-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello there blog friends. Its another post for Shady Tree Studio's Christmas in July. I also have another card up on the STS blog today. Click here for a peek.

Today's card features stamps from last year's set called, Just Believe. It also has a little sneak peek. The checkered border, isnt it divine? I stamped the tree first and then masked it off before stamping the border. This way the tree looks slightly in front of that border. I colored everything with my copics and called it good. Thanks for stopping in today.

Make It Monday: Edger Pockets

2011-07-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Today I have a card for the Papertrey Ink Make It Monday challenge. You can find all the details here.

I have a ripe avocado card base. I made the pocket out of spring moss. I used the edger on both edges of the pocket. This is edger #1. I poked some holes with my paper piercer and sewed the pocket together with some twine. The pocket is stamped in avocado ink using stamps from Beyond Borders. I added some melon berry ribbon and buttons to finish it off.

The tag is made from Simple Chartreuse cardstock. Its stamped with stamps from Floral fusion. The white flower is from MM. Thanks for stopping by today! I will be back tomorrow with some new Shady Tree Studio.

A Tale of a Living Room Corner

2011-07-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

Often I find myself drooling over freshly uploaded pictures of peoples' crafting rooms. I love looking at them, dreaming of the someday when I might get my own room to decorate and craft in and leave as messy as I want. I used to craft at the kitchen table. That had one major drawback. People always wanted to eat there, which meant cleaning up my mess and putting it all a way. Every. single. time. One day after drooling over internet crafting spaces I was sitting in my "formal" living room, when I got an idea. Why not use this space? No one used the formal living room because there was not a tv in there. No one really sat on the couches except for the cats. (And most of the time they were happier to scratch the couches instead of sit on them). So I thought, "Hey self, why not use that one tiny corner there. Its just one empty corner, no one will even notice." And so in the beginning it looked like this:

A tiny little gate leg table- which I could fold up when not in use. A little shelf on the wall. I took over the shelving unit on the side as well. A couple of things on the table top. No big deal. You hardly even notice such a thing.

When it was time to craft I would lift up the table side and spread out. I borrowed a dining room chair to sit on. Easy peasey. But then....

It started to look like this. All. The. Time. I started crafting on the floor because as you can see there was no room on the table! And I bet you can guess how often it got all cleaned up. You will also notice things started getting added to the wall. I needed more organizational space because frankly I had lots more stuff! Stuff started to sit on the floor and on the couch. Things were beginning to get out of control. Sooooo.....

I purchased this! Cute enough to be in the formal living room... look how pretty the top is. Nice neutral color. We had gotten a new wood floor and it went nicely with that as well. And the sides had cubbies... lots of extra room!
So you would think that by now I really wouldn't need anymore space... but you would be wrong because somehow I always needed one more little thing. Which brings us to today. The newest acquisition:

A ribbon shelf! A whole lovely shelf devoted to ribbon! Look room to grow as well! Built for me by my husband... and since he built it maybe he doesn't care that I am slowly taking over the entire living room.

And here is the final result... for now anyway...

Shady Tree Studio's Christmas in July! (2)

2011-07-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Good morning friends! I have another Shady Tree Studio card to share with you. It features the holly branch from last season's set Home for the Holidays. The sentiment is a sneak peak from a new set that will be released later this month. This is a pretty simple card. I am using a hero arts card base with some pieces of cardstock on the front. I stamped in black (I am using palette noir- I like Memento for copic coloring but I just dont feel it gives as crisp of an image-so I go back and forth, trying to decide which trade off to take). I colored with my copics. I added some scrunched ribbon at the side using score tape.

YOF minis

2011-07-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

Good Morning friends! I have some YOF minis cards for you today. I showed the rose one a few days ago. This is a four card set. I planned on making some packaging for it but have yet to get around to that. It may be summer, but for some reason I am still busy!

All the cards have the same basic layout. White base, colored mat, copic colored flowers, scoring, and sentiment from the Sending You set (PTI).

I love the marigolds. They remind me of my mom.

Last but not least, the carnations. I don't have the big version of this. I thought it looked alot like the marigolds. I still think that.

Happy Holly Days

2011-07-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hey there! I am posting over at Shady Tree Studios today. Come see!

Shady Tree Studio's Christmas in July!

2011-07-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

Hello blog friends! Its been a wee bit since I have had something from Shady Tree Studio! But that changes today... Nancy at STS is kicking off a month long Christmas in July. We are featuring both sets from last Christmas and new stuff too! I have already made tons of samples and I think you are going to love the new offerings as well. Be sure to check out the Shady Tree Blog as well as the other DT members.
This card combines the old (the Cardinal) with the new (little bell). To get myself in the mood for Christmas I took out all of my STS Christmas stamps, pulled out some Christmas paper, went to my LSS and let myself buy a small selection of new paper. I am so bad at working off season. All my Christmas cards get done in November! LOL! Anyway, back to the card. I paper pieced the cardinal using paper from BoBunny. Its pieced on to some Kraft paper. The card its self is from the Hero Arts Hues collection. Sometimes I like having the card already folded and done, and bonus that its white inside. The ribbon is from a grab bag at the LSS, so I don't know the manufacturer.
Card Deets:
Stamps: Shady Tree Studios: Home From the Holidays (plus a peeky at something new!)
Paper: Hero Arts,Bo Bunny, PTI
Ink: Palette
Ribbon: Unknown

I'm Back!!

2011-07-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

Hello there blog friends! I am back from my travels! What a whirlwind two weeks. I think its the most I have ever traveled at once. In my heart, I am a homebody so all that new stuff takes a toll on me after awhile. I missed my kiddos, hubby, and my markers! LOL! So I finally got a chance to get some pics of a card I made right before I left.
I used Year of the Flowers minis to make this. Its actually a part of a four card set. I will be showing off the others at a later date. I also have some Shady Tree Studio goodness just around the corner as well. You are going to like the new Christmas sets... they are oh so cute! I've already got a couple of the cards made. Thanks for stopping in!
Card Deets:
Stamps: PTI year of the flower mini
Paper: PTI
Ink: memento black
Other: copic markers, cosmo cricket pattern paper, scor pal, spellbinders scalloped squares.

Hey There Friends!

2011-07-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

Hello and greetings from Moss Landing California. Today I am finishing up my last day at the Moss Landing Marine Institute.

That picture is not mine, as I don't have a helicopter to take pictures with. LOL! Its from CSU website. Anyhow, I just wanted you to see what a pretty place we have to learn in. We have been working with K-2 teachers to teach them new methods of teaching science and also adult level content in the field of marine biological sciences. I know I am a presenter here but I have also learned so much. Yesterday we were out at Point Pinos. As part of the grant they gave us all flip cameras. It was cool to capture some video of this awesome place but I hope it doesnt make the kiddos sea sick. Videographer, I am not. So today we head to the institute and then to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. And after that its home we go. So after two weeks on the road I will finally be home in my own bed! I miss my sweet little kiddos and my own pillow. After I get back we have a release for Shady Tree Studios coming. I think my stamps are waiting at my house! So hopefully I will have samples ASAP. Also STS is going to showcase a sweet little set from last year, so I will need to get on that as well. See you soon!

Butterflys

2011-06-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! By the time you see this I will be in Moss Landing. I can't wait! This is probably the last of the scheduled posts... I am not sure but I think its the last I am going to get done. I will be home and crafting again July 1.

Everything here is PTI, except for the butterfly. The butterfly is from Hero Arts. I love that set. Its called Antique Engravings. Its a relatively new set. The sentiments are from Vintage Picnic. The paper is all PTI. Thanks for continuing to visit while I am on the road! See you soon!

Snail Mail

2011-06-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello there! I am still in Colorado (well technically I haven't even left yet... but when you see this I will be there!) I have a lovely vintage picnic basket for you today. Just a single card, no set! LOL! If I could do this over I would switch out the pp. Doesn't quite work but its too late that puppy is glued down. Ah well. The pp is from American Crafts- newer line. Everything else is PTI. Thanks for stopping in!

Sea Shore Card Gift Set

2011-06-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello there friends! I am off in Colorado but I left you some eye candy! I made these cards just because. I don't even have a planned recipient yet and I haven't gotten around to making a box or envies either.

The seashells come from the same Hero Arts set that has those pretty butterflies. Its called Antique Engravings (I think...). The sentiments are from PTI Vintage Picnic. I stamped in dark chocolate and then colored with my copics.

The base card is PTI ocean tides. The pp is from My Minds Eye. Its a bit older. The paper with the stamping rustic cream.

A close up for you. Easy peasy coloring, trust me on this. Have a great day!

Can You Stand Another Card Set?

2011-06-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Friends! Its the first day of my summer break and I am thrilled! I did get up and take my kids to school as they have two more days (different district). This is the last of the teacher gifts. This one is for my daughter's Language Arts teacher. Same basic construction as all the boxes from the last week.
For this box set I used all PTI stamps. The sets were: Fillable Frames and Sending You. I used some PTI dies as well. The patterned paper is from American Crafts and PTI. Vellum and Cardstock by PTI. The inks are from a variety of sources including, Dew Drops, PTI, and Colorbox.

None of the cards have sentiments. I couldn't decide where to put it so I ended up leaving them blank. This was a rush job done during my last teaching week of school so I was working very quickly.

I did take the time to decorate the envies. I really like decorated envies. I think it just makes the card that much better. Do I always do it? No, but I should! LOL.

So tomorrow I am off to Colorado. My kids and hubby are staying home as this is a work trip for me. If you know many teachers, then you know its not often they get a work trip- especially to another state! This is some side work with curriculum that I am doing with a textbook company. I have never done anything like it and I am really looking forward to it. As soon as I get back I will turn around and drive down to Moss Landing- which is right near Monterey, California and very close to my hometown. I will be teaching science at the Moss Landing Marine Lab to other elementary school science teachers. We will be learning both lesson structure ideas and actual science content. I have been involved in this program for the past 3 years and I am really looking forward to this as well. I am going to miss my kiddos but I am very excited. Anyhow that is my long winded way of telling you that the blog will be dark. I am trying to put together a few posts for while I am gone but it may not happen. I will be back for good on July 1... and hopefully soon after will have some crafty goodness for you again. Thanks again for stopping by!

Another Butterfly Card

2011-06-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

Same basic card as the ones in the boxed set from a few days ago. The big difference is the kraft background. The flowers are stamped with TH distress inks and PTI chai ink. The butterfly is colored with copic markers. The butterfly is from Hero Arts (Antique Engravings) and the flowers are from PTI's Life.

Teacher Gift- Apple Cards

2011-06-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! I am back with another teacher gift. This one was for my friend, Lisanne. She is a new teacher at our school. She just graduated her first class of little Kindergarten kids. I thought next year she might need some cutesy cards.
Same basic idea as the previous two days. Box of cards with a vellum lid. This time the lid goes over the outside of the box (because measuring is not my strongest skill), other than that its just like the others. The sides are a little deeper because this is an 8 card set.

The "from the desk of...." is printed on using the computer. I used microsoft word to do this. I learned how from a great tutorial on Jennifer McGuire's blog. All other stamps are from Papertrey ink. I was using the anniversary set and Fruit Fusion Apples.

The red box and the scalloped white box are nestabilities. The red gingham ribbon is from Making Memories (Big Lots score from last summer). The polkadot frame on the envie is from fillable frames.

I hope you like them. Thanks, as always, for stopping by my blog!

Teacher Gifts- Doggie Notecard set

2011-06-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

Good Morning Friends! I have another notecard set for you today. This one is for my son's teacher. She loves dogs. This happens to be the only dog stamp I own. Its from Tiny Treats Valentine by PTI.

It's the same basic construction as yesterday's box. Except that the cards are 3.75x3.75 and I laid them next to each other to get the measurement for the bottom of the box. All other measurements (adding the 1.4 inch and the inch all around) are all the same. I stamped the little dog onto the sides. Isn't he cute? Vellum top made very similarly to yesterday's project.
Inside you can see the two different notecards. The patterned paper is from American Crafts. Sunshine or something like that. I cut it out using the large and small ric rac dies. On the front we have stamps from Tiny Treats, Tag Its, and Fillable Frames. A variety of inks from a variety of sources were used as well.

The 4 inch square envies are also from PTI. I decorated them to match the little notecards.

I have kraft envies for the kraft cards and white for the white ones. I love those cute little envelopes, they really make the gift. You might also be noticing a divider. Just a little piece of scrap card to keep the cards from shifting everywhere. If you put in a divider you will need to cut a little slit in the lid to go over it. Simple and easy to do.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I appreciate you taking the time to come by! Have a good week!

Teacher Gifts- Butterfly Card Set

2011-06-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends! I have something pretty for you today! Its one of those things I don't want to give away! That happens on occasion! This is a gift set for my daughter's teacher. Lets start at the beginning shall we? This box is made from two pieces of paper; a piece of kraft cardstock and a piece of vellum. I am using PTI vellum which is much thicker than any other vellum I have worked with. I don't think it would work so well with a flimsy vellum. It would work fine with clear acetate. Making the box is pretty simple. Simply take the size of your card (mine was 4.25 x 5.5) and add a quarter of an inch. So that would be 4.5 x 5.75. Then add an inch to all sides. So now we are at 6.5 x 7.75, with me so far? Cut your cardstock to be 6.5 x 7.75. Score at 1 inch on all sides. Cut into two of the short lines on the two long sides so that you can fold up your little box. Clip the corners at a diagonal so they don't peak out. Now before you glue it together stamp your little sides. Keep in mind that the fold is the bottom, that way when you put it together it will all be right side up. (yes, I have ruined many a box with upside down stamping). Ok now for the vellum piece. This is a little trickier. First of all it needs to be just a hair smaller because the lid tucks in the box not over it. So remove about an 1/8th of inch from the original measurements form the bottom. Fraction time! LOL I just cut mine to the original (6.5x7.75) then I scooch it over and take off an eighth of an inch from the width and the length. Now go score that puppy at one inch on all sides. Cut into it the same way and give a test fit. Does it fit perfectly? If so slap on some score tape. If it poofs upwards to much go back and trim a little off the sides, then slap on the score tape. Ok box is done!
Moving on to cards and envies. If ever there was a time for a decorated envie, its now! Lets do that first cause its easier. Select your envie. Stamp a coordinating stamp on the flap. Then turn it over and use an adorable fillable frame for the addressee portion and a cute little matching stamp in the corner. Repeat for all envies.
Last but not least, we have the cards. Cut your paper and score it. I am using rustic white by PTI. Stamp the background with a variety of brown inks. I am using Life stamp set by PTI and distress inks in vintage photo and brushed corduroy. I am also using PTI chai ink. When the backgrounds are done go dig up some scraps of cream colored or white cardstock. Stamp the butterfly as many times as you have cards (and maybe one more in case you screw up). Color the butterflies with your copic markers (or color medium of choice). I used stamps by Hero Arts. Dark chocolate ink and copic markers. Go stamp the butterfly on each of your cards. Cut out the butterflies that you colored. Go ahead and cut off the antennae, you will use the ones on the cards. Adhere your colored butterflies over the stamped ones. That's it! Cards are done. Put the cards in the box, top with the lid. Tie on a pretty coordinating bow ( I used PTI terracotta tile satin). Make yourself a cute tag using a butterfly (color it pretty) and a fillable frame. Glue em together, punch a hole and tie on some twine. If you measure carefully (ha I did not!), and don't drop anything in an ink pad (who, me?) you should finish this in about an hour or so. Have fun!

Picket Fence Thank You

2011-06-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

Another card featuring the PTI picket fence die. That is a really fun little die. I have it here with some flowers from the current anniversary set. The base is Blueberry sky, ink is from dew drops, Ribbon is bitty dot enchanted evening. Thanks for stopping by!

Year of the Flowers Minis Set

2011-06-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Happy Tuesday! Its my last week of teaching class! We have only two weeks left and I close the lab after this week. Yay! Today I have a thank you card set that I made with the Year of the Flowers Mini set from PTI. These were meant to be a set but my husband took 2 so now I have to make two more.

First up the morning glory. Love this flower! I colored all the flowers with Prisma colored pencils because I wanted single layer cards on white with no bleed through. You could use copics but unless you have some super thick paper you would need to line the inside.
Here we have lily of the valley.
Next up is gladiolas. My favorite flower in real life but not in this set.
And last but not least the daffodil which is my favorite flower of the set. The thank you sentiment is from this year's anniversary set which is not for sale. However if you really wanted it plenty of people are hawking their extras. Thanks for stopping in!

More Cherry Fun

2011-06-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

Four days in a row! I am on a roll.... for now anyway. My son is better, my daughter is now extremely sick. Ah the day in the life of a mom. But anyway you aren't here for that, now are you? I have one more cherry card for you today. I used all PTI product on this one. I really love those little cherries. I bought the apples too but for some reason they aren't even inked up yet. Thanks for stopping in!

Just a Note

2011-06-05T07:36:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Happy Sunday to you. My son is now well but my daughter is now sick. I have a feeling its going to be another long week. Anyhow... today's card features the picket fence die from PTI. I also used stamps from the PTI anniversary set. The little Astrix like stars are from technique tuesday. Just a simple little card I made during some of my down time last week. Thanks for stopping in!

More Cherries

2011-06-04T07:05:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! I have more cherries for you today! Once I started with the cherries I had a hard time stopping. LOL! For the first card I used some versamark on kraft paper for the base. I added some cosmo cricket and pti paper scallops. Next I got out one of my fillable frames (which #? I dont know! sorry!) and die cut it and stamped the frame. Then I added the cherries, colored with copics and added a layer of "liquid glass".
Here's a close up. The ribbon is melon, which matches the paper. Its tied around some red cardstock. No room for a sentiment but if I remember correctly I stamped the inside of the card with a thank you sentiment and another cherry.
Finally a little cherry tag. I cut the tag out of pure poppy cardstock with my tag die. I added some white adhesive felt flowers (I think they are by Queen&Co.). Then I followed up with another fillable frame, more cherries, some ripe avocado ribbon, and a button. I think its done! LOL! Have a great weekend.

Thank You Cherries

2011-06-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hello there! Its been an exhausting week here. My little boy has been so sick. We spent all Tuesday in the E/R but I guess its just a bad stomach bug. He has missed the whole week of school, poor little guy. Anyway I have many cards but none had been photographed or uploaded or edited- hence the blog silence.
However today is a new day and I have for you a thank you card featuring PTI's fruit fusion. I am a sucker for cherries. These are yellow like my favorite Rainer cherries. Oh they are so tasty. I used a couple different papers- PTI and Cosmo Cricket I think. Buttons are from PTI.

WMS Doily

2011-05-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

I love this doily! Its from the new WMS doily set, as is the cute little border. That big doily is actually two stamps. One for the big doily and another doily inside the first. LOVE! I stamped everything in dark chocolate and then added some Chai Tea ink to soften it up a bit. Kraft base, dark chocolate ribbon finish things off. Thanks for stopping by!

Thank You Doily Card

2011-05-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Its Monday! I have a sick little boy to take care of so I will make this quick. The big doily is from Waltzingmouse stamps. I mixed to stamps together. The outer rim really doesn't go with this doily but I think I made it work. The sentiment is from WMS Say It Loud. Its stamped on vellum. I have some American Crafts ribbon and a PTI button. Thanks for stopping in today!

Happy Birthday Merry!

2011-05-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

This card is for my friend Merry, who is celebrating her birthday today! Even though we have not met in real life Merry and I share a common obsession with stamping. She is a wonderful lady, thoughtful and kind and crafty too! Happy Birthday my friend!

Happy Birthday Waltzingmouse!

2011-05-21T16:36:00.001-07:00

Long time, no write! More about that in a minute but first I have to say, Happy Birthday Waltzingmouse Stamps! WMS is now two years old! Have you shopped at WMS? Don't be frightened that they are over seas. Claire will take care of you. WMS has the best customer service and some of the fastest shipping times around. Everything she has sent me has always been top notch. You cant go wrong there! Also her stamp sets are jam packed with goodness- so much bang for your buck (or pound as the case may be).
Because it is Saturday WMS sketch challenge also has a new sketch up. You can check it out here. You can win a free set! Here is my entry:
I have three different sets on this card. I started with the sweet little doily from the dainty doilies 2 set. I stamped it in white. Next I took another small doily from the Dainty Doilies set and stamped it in a variety of colors on top of the white doily. Next I took the small cupcake from the frame It set and stamped it twelve times. I colored them with copics and cut them out. I used pop dots to adhere them to the card. The icing is colored with sakura clear sparkle gel pen. Finally I used the large cupcake from Frame It to make the tag. I colored it and added some stickles. The sentiment is from the Say It Loud set. The ribbon is from Martha Stewart.
And a little close up of the ribbon and tag. Look at all that sparkly goodness! LOVE!
**** Randomness to Follow*****
So if you stop in often you may have noticed a complete lack of posts for the past ten or so days. I try really hard not to do that but we had a big happening at school that I was in charge of. I run the school's PTO (like a PTA but not affiliated with Nat'l PTA) and our biggest fundraiser of the year is an ice cream social. We have ice cream sundaes, cotton candy, popcorn, face painting, bounce houses, DJ, etc... And yours truly gets to coordinate it all and also go after people who are willing to donate their time or bounce house. It takes every waking moment pretty much to take care of that. We also have a huge basket raffle. I donated one. I thought you might like to see it.
Thats all candy! Aren't you glad your kid did not win it? LOL! Hopefully I will be back with regular posts this week! Thanks, as always, for visiting!

Ad Sense Card Collection

2011-05-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hello there! Well its been a busy week here! All work and no play! Sorry for the lack of posts, I like to update regularly but sometimes I got nothing! I haven't crafted all week. I made these a few weeks ago.
This uses a newer PTI set called Ad Sense and Simple Circles. The Ad Sense is a really unique set. I love the vintage advertising look- so cute and unique.
Same basic layout on both cards. I wanted to make a little set for someone. Who? I am not sure. These are still in my possession but I will be giving them away soon. Thanks for stopping by today!

Waltzingmouse is Turning 2!!!

2011-05-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

... and you could win a really big present! Go check out all the details here!
I made this really cute tea cup with Claire's amazing Tea Cup Template. ( There is no way I could ever think that one up on my own!) You can buy it here.I used the gorgeous Festive Foliage stamp set to make my cup. I love that set. Everything looks better with pretty pinecones! I actually used white cardstock but got it all inky with some PTI chai tea ink. The ink for the images is Palette new leaf and memento jumbo java. The liner is some old green patterned paper. I have no idea of manufacturer.
One more view of the tea cup. This template is easier than it looks but I am not going to swear its easy, LOL! I am a little challenged when it comes the fussy cutting and that handle was hard! But it was fun and I do look forward to making another.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge 46

2011-05-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon! Happy Mother's Day! Today I have a card based on the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge (#46). You can get all the details here.
I used two sets here: Vintage Circles and Lil' Buddies... oh and the teeny bee is from Spring Baskets. So I guess that is three sets. The little flower is from the Vintage Circle set. I think it looks awesome with those bees. Both of the circles are from the Vintage Circle set also. They are one stamp but I preformed surgery on them and now they are two. I dont do well selectively inking stuff. LOL.
The last picture is a close up in an attempt to show you the sparkle from my spica pens. Sorry photography is not my talent. Have a good day!