I Love Summer Holidays

I know that by the end of the summer I'll probably be pulling my hair out but right now I'm enjoying the fact that I don't have to get kids ready for school everyday and that our days start off nice and slow. This makes for perfect stamping time, and that can't be a bad thing, lol.

Today's card is a remake of yesterday's card just in different colors and I decided to add some ribbon. This card is for the color challenge over at Splitcoaststampers. I haven't done one of their callenges in such a long time, it felt really good.

Stamps: Refuge & Strength
Paper: Night Of Navy, So Saffron, Kraft, Vellum CS, DSP
Ink: Night of Navy
Other: Pretties Kit, So Saffron Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

I'm Such a Bad Blogger

What a busy life we lead, I've been neglecting my blog lately and I'm hoping to get back into it. Blogging really is my therapy and I hate to let it slide. We've had a number of things to do lately in our lives and before you know it, a week's gone by and still no posts.

As some of you probably read in some earlier posts, we've been house hunting. And I'm happy to say that the search is over. We bought a house that is literally across the street from where we're living now, this should be a relatively easy move, lol. It's a fairly new house and the previous owners never finished the basement, so we'll have a good sized project to tackle this winter. But when it's all done, I will once again have my very own craft room, yeah! I am so excited that I'll be able to sit down any time I want and create a card, it's amzing what that does for your mojo!

Well onto my cards. I've been in such a creative rut lately and I think I finally broke out of it today. Don't you hate it when you make a card and you're just not satisfied with it?! I finally had a day where I ended up liking both cards. Both of my cards today are made using the Echos of Kindness set, this is one of the hostess sets that will be retiring by the end of this month.

Stamps: Echos of Kindness, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, DSP-Bella Bleu
Ink: Basic Black, NQN, Mellow Moss
Other: Kraft Ribbon, Pretties Kit

This next card was a lot of fun to make. It is using my "comfort" colors but I feel like it's different then my usual. The flowers are from the pretties kit and I used my brayer to color them in kiwi kiss, such an easy way to tint your flowers. The picture doesn't really show it well, but I did run the background kraft cs through one of SU's texture plates. I love adding texture to my cards, which I'm sure most people have guessed already since almost every card has some sort of embossing on it, lol.

Stamps: Echoes of Kindness
Paper: Basic Black, Kraft, Kiwi Kiss, Vellum Cardstock, DSP-Urban Garden
Ink: Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss
Other: Black Brads

Thanks for stopping by!!

Wowzas!

I've made a lot of cards today already. It sounds like one of the local shops around here is willing to sell my cards for me so I'm trying to make sure I have cards for every occassion before I go to him to finalize the little details. So far I've done four today, two baby cards, one which won't be posted because the pink just does not want to show up well. But it is identical to the baby boy one, just in pink.
I should add that these cards look so much better in real life, I'm having some issues lately when taking the photos. For some reason the lighting is giving the cards a different look, go figure.

This first one is one of the two baby cards. It's almost identical to one I made a while back, but this time I made it your typical A2 size instead of the 5x5.

Recipe:
Stamps: Dollar Store Stamps, Nursery Neseccities
Paper: Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Kraft, DSP-Parisian Breeze
Ink: Baja Breeze
Other: Kraft Ribbon, Halfback pearls

This next one is made using some of the new in colors. I found some dsp in my stash that went okay with these colors. I used shimmery cardstock for the watercolored flowers. First I embossed them in black and then watercolored them. The shimmery pp adds such a pretty effect. I also used me new absolutely favorite sentiment stamp set, Teeny Tiny Wishes. I know it's a little pricey in the new Catalogue but with every occasion included you really won't need to buy another set to try and get all of your holidays covered.

Recipe:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry, DSP- Bella Bleu
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Other: Soft Suede Ribbon

This is also another remake of a card I did a while back, but in an A2 instead of a
5x5. I love 5x5's but realistically I think it might be easier to try and stick to A2 sizes when trying to sell my cards.


Recipe:
Stamps: Light Unto my Path, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Basic Black, Kraft, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Hemp Twine, Black Brads

Thanks for stopping by!

Summer is Finally Here!

It's been such a cool spring so far this year, any signs of a hot summer are very appreciated and so far we're off to a great start this week. We had such a great weekend enjoying the weather and spending time with the kids.

I made two cards this morning, both using the same layout (which is from a sketch challenge) but using different colors. I love some of the new in colors but I am struggling with using them so far. I think I need to see some ideas from the super talented stampers out there. Plus I usually use DSP when making cards and I have to wait until July to order some.
Both of today's cards are made with SU!'s new level 2 hostess set, Kind and Caring Thoughts. As demos we get the opportunity to order one level 2 and one level 3 set before the catalogue goes live, another reason I love being a demo!

Recipe:
Stamps: Kind & Caring Thoughts, Teen Tiny Wishes
Paper: Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, Very Vanilla
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede
Other: Silver Brads, Polka Dot Ribbon


Recipe:
Stamps: Kind & Caring Thoughts, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, DSP-Parisian Breeze
Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip
Other: Half Back pearls, Chocolate Chip ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Playing With my New Loot

I finally had some time this morning to play with all the new stuff I ordered. I had a workshop in my home yesterday which went really, we all got to play with my new bigshot. So this morning I redid the same card layout we did at the workshop, only I used the Fifth Avenue Floral set and also did a really cool technique for watercoloring the flower. LOVE this technique and I'm glad I finally got to try it.
And I also love this color combination, so pretty. What makes this card even prettier is that the flower uses shimmery cardstock, if yo look you'll see the subtle sparkle.

Recipe:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Embrace Life, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Soft Suede, Rich Razzelberry, Very Vanilla, Shimmery White
Ink: Soft Suede. Rich Razzleberry
Other: Pretties Kit, Soft Suede Ribbon, Black Embossing Powder

This next card is the card we did at the workshop last night, it gave everyone the chance to try the Bigshot, but also kept it simple enough for any beginners. Love this layout. I should also mention that you can't see it in the picture, but we cut out two pieces of the top note die so that everyone could finish the inside. When you have a simple card, I think it really adds a wow factor when you do something to the inside.

Recipe:
Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Embrace Life, Sincere Salutations
Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla
Ink: Perfect Plum, Always Artichoke

Thanks for stopping by!

So Excited

The delivery man was at my door today and I am so excited to play with my new stuff. I finally bit the bullet and ordered the Big Shot so that I could demo it at workshops, I am in love with it already! Plus with this order I got the new 09/10 catalogue and wow, I think I may have to get a loan just to get half of what I want. There are such beautiful ideas in there, and absolutely beautiful stamp sets. The one that I'm most excited about is the Teeny Tiny Wishes set. It has every holiday/event that you can think of, and they all fit in the new label punch, this set will be worth every penny.

I have no new card to post right now but I'm sure I'll come up with something after I've been able to ink up my new stuff!


Thanks for stopping by!

Feels like a Monday

Well as my title would suggest, it feels like a Monday to me today. But hopefully with enough cardmaking it'll start to feel like a better day.

I have two cards to post today, both using basic black and kiwi kiss. I can always tell when I'm in need of new stuff to play with, I get bored with my colors and find it harder to come up with something original. But if all goes well, my big order should get here tomorrow.
This first card is a case from a very talented stamper, Pam Varnell, you'll find her blog on the left- Stamping with Pam. She used such vibrant rich colors, all of which I don't have. But I loved the layout so I made due with what I had. I definitely want to order a bigger variety of DSP next time I order. So far my collection is mostly blues, and greens.

Recipe:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Sincere Salutations
Paper: Basic Black, Basic Grey, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, DSP?
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, Basic Grey
Other: Black brads


Recipe:
Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Cause For Celebration
Paper: Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, DSP?
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Black Brads, Grosgrain Ribbon, Black Library Clip

Thanks for stopping by!

House hunting can be such a stressful thing, there are so many things to consider. Do you go over budget for a better home, do you build, do you buy a fixer upper or a newer one, and then you find a house you love but it sells before you can get in with an offer. At first we said we would take our time with the house hunting, but then you keep seeing places that you'd like, and no matter how much you tell yourself to take your time you can't help but get that feeling of panic that you're not going to find the right place. I'd rather buy something soon and get rid of that stress, lol.

But enough of my stuff, on to the card. This card is from a sketch challenge that I saw somewhere on the web. I'm not sure that I did it justice, I have moments where I like it and moments where I don't.

Recipe:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, All Holidays
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Watercolor pp
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze
Other: Kraft Ribbon, Halfback Pearls, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Thanks for stopping by!

What a Beautiful Day

It is such a georgous spring day out there, perfect for having bbq'd chicken for dinner, and then taking a nice long walk. There are so many things I should be doing today but yet I couldn't help but make a card this morning. Some would say get your priorities straight, others would say glad your priorities are straight, lol.

This card is a case, and once again I don't know by whom. I did add a few more layers but I loved the colors so I kept everything else the same. Plus this uses a stamp set that I had not had the chance to use so it was nice to get it "dirty".

Recipe:
Stamps: Friends 24-7, Birthday Whimsy
Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla, DSP- Bella Bleu
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Basic Black, Mellow Moss
Pther: Half Back Pearls

Have a great day!

Wow

I say wow today for two reasons, one being that I just found out how many calories my supper had. Yikes, you would think that noodle soup would be low in calories but not the mennonite style soup. It's basically just a big bowl of homemade egg noodles with homemade chicken soup broth. Plus I had a taco sandwhich to go with that, let's just say it's over half of your daily calorie allowance eatin in one meal. I'll have to take a looooooooooooong walk today, lol.

My second wow is a much more exciting one! Stampin' Up! released their sneak peak of the new catty coming out in July and wow are the new in colours beautiful. I spent way too much money today but hopefully it'll all pay off once I get going over here. The hostess sets are so beautiful, ones that you would love to be able to purchase. I cannot wait to get my hands on the new catalogue and see everything. Now I have to patiently wait for my preorder to arrive...tapping my foot.

Since it's been a while since I lasted posted a card I figured I better get to it today. I made this card last week already but didn't have the mojo to post it. I'm used to having an actual room that I call my own, shelving everywhere, paper racks, etc. Now I have it all crammed in our kitchen pantry. So whenever I want to make a card I have to pull out my stuff to the kitchen table and push it back when I'm done. I guess that will just give me more motivation to do some serious house hunting.
The card I made is a very simple one using the upsy daisy set, I don't use this set nearly enough. I fell in love with it when it came out but I keep forgetting I have it amongst all my other stamps. Maybe that should be my cue to organize? lol

Recipe:
Stamps: Upsy Daisy
Paper: Basic Black, Kraft, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Kraft ribbon, Nestabilities, Embossing folders

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Monday

We are experiencing a very wet Monday in Manitoba today, in fact I still have not planted any flowers because of the cool spring that we're experiencing. Hopefully soon. Well my garage sale was a huge success! We were really hoping to sell almost everything and we did, we only had a 4 small boxes left of the 30 or so that we had filled with stuff for the sale. And those 4 are all going to the thrift store so we're free of all this stuff we no longer wanted, yeah! Plus I sold a few of my cards and made a few contacts, that alone was worth it to me. I'm so excited to get classes or clubs going. Mitchell has a craft fair of some sort on July 11 and they are looking for vendors, so I definitely plan on signing up! If you're in the area why not stop by and sign up for some stamping fun!!

On to my card, I made this card last week but didn't have time then to post it so it gets posted today. I had trouble getting the colours to look right in the photo but I think most of us are familiar with these colours IRL.

Recipe:
Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers
Paper: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Whisper White, DSP- Parisian Breeze
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze
Other: Kraft Taffetta ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

On a Roll

Preparing for a garage sale is so much work, and then you're left hoping to sell at least half of your belongings. Top that off with my will to have some cards to sell, and that leaves me with a very busy week.

This first card is actually an experiment from Michell Zindorf, she has such a beautiful style. I sponged the Night of Navy on instead of brayering but I think my next card I'll try the brayer. I used a punch to create the circle for a mask for the moon and then lightly went over it with Night of navy. The stamp set was stamped on glossy cardstock with basic black but I will try it again with stazOn ink, the basic black is waterproof but I think I'll get a better image with the stazOn. I stamped the deer image on to transparency paper and then pressed that down to give the water reflection. To make it look like there's a ripple in the water I used my white gel pen and added some water ripples. Now that I've done this once I want to try again and see if I can perfect the look a little more, with fewer mistakes.

Recipe:
Stamps: Nature Silhouettes
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Glossy Cardstock
Ink: Night Of Navy, Basic Black
Other: White Gel Pen, Black brads

This next card is a case off of SCS but it was for a sketch challenge so I imagine alot of cards had this look, lol. I love this layout and plan on using it for various holiday cards.

Recipe:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Birthday Whimsy
Paper: Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Grey, Watercolour pp, DSP-?
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black
Other: Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Black brads

Have a Great Day!

Cardmaking blitz

Hi everyone, I hope everyone had a great weekend, either relaxing, camping or gardening, or whatever it is that you like to do on a long weekend, lol. I am busy getting ready for a big community garage sale this weekend. I'm also trying to get my name out there with Stampin' Up so I plan on having a SU table set up and also try to sell some of my cards. So this week I'll have to make cards for upcoming holidays, like Father's day, weddings, birthdays, etc. This morning I made two each of two styles for Father's day. I think they turned out nicely.

This first card is made using the Light Unto my Path stamp set, I've struggled with using this set, trying to get the dimensions to look right on a card. But I think I've finally figured out that going with a 5x5 square card makes it a lot easier to use.

Recipe:
Stamps: Light Unto My Path
Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, DSP- Urban Oasis, Chatterbox from the LSS
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Hemp Twine, Jumbo eyelets

On the second card I used the All Holidays set and embossed the image by stamping in versamark and then straight into my Chocolate Chip ink pad. Otherwise it's a very basic card.

Recipe:
Stamps: All Holidays
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, DSP-To The Nines
Other: Jumbo brads, Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder

Thanks for stopping by!

Special Day

Today is a very special day for a very special person. My daughter turns 5 today and she's super excited for her party. I made her a quick birthday card this morning using "fluffy" colours. Overall I think the card turned out ok, except for a few mistakes that I won't mention, lol.


And the inside:

Sorry no recipe today, give me a shout if you need some info.
Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Happiness

Well our last fews days have been cold and rainy, very rainy. It's a good thing I love rain, but I do wonder when summer will finally make it's apperance, it's been a chilly spring.

Todays card was actually made a few days ago but I couldn't get it to look right, so I finally finished it today even though I'm still looking at it like it needs something. I really am my worst critic, lol.

I stamped the image on watercolour pp, and then used my aqua painter and ink pads to color them in. I also used this same method to tint the flowers from the pretties kit, although I should have probably tinted them again so the color was a little more vibrant.


Recipe:
Stamps: Warm Words, Bloomin' Beautiful
Paper: Always Artichoke, Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, Watercolour pp, DSP- To The Nines (I think)
Ink: Basic Black, Sage Shadow, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa,
Other: Flowers from the Pretties Kit, Clear Rhinestone Brads

Thanks for stopping by!