a double challenge

Ok some back schtuff then the card schtuff...I got a phone call from the doctor...finally! I have a tailbone that is too angled. There isn't anything that can really be done except what I am doing already...muscle relaxers,naproxon and then if necessary physical therapy! Because the bone is angled more than it should be the muscles can become tight and stiff and that's why I had the muscle spasm. I have felt really good today so far (that's why I stamped a card) so I am hopeful...I think it's gonna all be ok! Thanks for your well wishes and concern!!! :)
Ok card schtuff...I made this card for two of the Splitcoast challenges...the layout and the "use up your scraps". I stuck with the blue/green colors again cuz I just really like 'em! I stamped my paper randomly with stamps from the Simply Said set then cut it into 1 inch strips. I added the heart and sentiment from the same set and a little olive ribbon...easy, peasy!
Oh...anyone else getting excited to see the new Stampin' Up! catty?...I am!! I can't wait to see some of the fun new schtuff to play with!
Have a fantabulous Thursday!!!
chat at ya later!
what's in it?...
stamps...Simply Said, Priceless
paper...night of navy, old olive, bashful blue, whisper white
ink...night of navy, old olive, bashful blue
accessories...olive brads, olive ribbon
other...stamp-a-ma-jig, color spritzer, dimensionals

friend

I was able to sit just long enough to make a card today!! Yeah me! I kept it super simple so that I could get the whole thing finished before my back said it was done! :) I made a card like this a while ago and so I did the same thing but with a different color combo! I cased myself! I was inspired by one of the sneak peeks on the demonstrator website...it's a camera case you could purchase at the Stampin' Up! convention. They said the pattern was from paper that will be in the new catalog called Blueberry Maine (I hope I am remembering that correctly!) Anyway...I took my colors from that or what I remembered of it!
Have a wonderful rest of your Wednesday!!
chat at ya later...
what's in it?...
paper...bashful blue, night of navy, old olive
accessories...blue brad, "fat" olive ribbon, white love & happiness rub-ons
other...rub-on tool, paper piercer & mat pack, scallop punch

a boy card

I am actually sitting in my computer chair and not kneeling at the computer...so there is hope for me yet! I am not completely better but I defiantly feel better and everyday my back isn't in quite as much pain as the day before! yippee!! :) Who knows...maybe I will be able to sit long enough to do some stamping soon!!
I thought I would share this card that I demo'd at my last Stamp Club. The girl who was the hostess asked if I could show some masculine cards...she said she feels like everything is girlie and I agreed...sometimes boy cards are hard to come by! This was a fairly simple card. I stamped the image on vanilla cardstock and attached it behind the close to cocoa piece. I used my hobby blade to cut out a rectangle...I just eyeballed it. I cut it smaller then the image and then I tore it the rest of the way to the size I wanted. I did a little sponging and added a star and a brad. I also added a jumbo eyelet and a piece of taupe ribbon.
thanks for stopping by and all the nice comments you have left...it's nice to know ya'll are so sweet and cared about how I was doing!!!
chat at ya later...
what's in it?...
stamps...Bronc Buster
paper...close to cocoa, chocolate chip, very vanilla
ink...close to cocoa, chocolate chip
accessories...jumbo pewter eyelet, pewter brad, taupe ribbon
other...star punch, crop-a-dile, sponge, hobby blade, dimesionals

bag in a box

Hi! I am here kneeling at the computer since sitting is way to uncomfortable! I still feel like jell-o! When they say muscle relaxer...they mean muscle relaxer!!! Even though my back is still hurting and the pain doesn't totally go away...I don't care as much when I am taking the "drugs" the doctor gave me!
Since I already had this done and photographed I figured I could muster up the energy to post it! {*wink*} cuz really...even blinking feels like alot of work when I am on this stuff!
I found this tutorial on this cute bag in a box. The directions are super simple to follow and the results are fabulous! I showed this to my girls in Stamp Club and they loved it!!! Also check out Angie's cute bag...hers is adorable!!
ok...I am exhausted!!
chat at ya later! :)
what's in it?...
paper...cameo coral, river rock, ginger blossom dsp
ink...cameo coral marker
accessories...river rock "fat"ribbon, ruby red brads, silk flowers (pretties kit)
other...slit punch, sticky strip, tab punch, vanilla shred

some new rubbah!!

***It's Friday afternoon...I just wanted to let you all know that it will be a few days before I am back up & stamping!! I have a muscle spasm in my lower back & it isn't letting me get much of anything done!!! I am waiting to hear back from the doctor about the results of my x-rays. Thanks for stoppin' in & for all the lovely comments you have been leaving! ...chat at ya later!!!*** :)
Hi friends!! Happy Wednesday morning to you! I got a few new things from Mr. Brown last night so I couldn't resist playing a little. I think of all the new In Colors that Stampin' Up! will be debuting in August Baja Breeze is my favorite! I love this new hostess set as well. (customers can earn this cute set when the new catalog is out on August 11th) Ok I am going to get right to card deets cuz I need to go get my nails done...they are not looking so great!

I stamped the window image in black staz-on. I cut out the shutters and popped them up a little to make them stand out from the window. I cut out the windows with my hobby blade and put acetate behind it so it looked like a window. The apricot piece in the upper window is supposed to be like a window shade. I stamped the little flowers and also cut out the vases and popped them up a little behind the acetate. I also added the bird at the last minute and covered him with crystal effects. I have to say I LOVE this color combo too!! Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!!!
chat at ya later
what's in it?...
stamps...Window Dressing, You Make Me Happy (shade background)
paper...baja breeze, apricot appeal, certainly celery, old olive, whisper white, acetate
ink...baja breeze, apricot appeal, certainly celery, old olive, regal rose, going gray, black staz-on
accessories...apricot brads, crystal effects, rose ribbon
other...scallop punch, stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals, hobby blade, blender pens,paper piercer

fabulous friend

Warning...some non stamp ramblings here: I had my Stamp Club meeting this morning and so I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with Shawn yet. He was the sweetest to take the kids swimming while I was busy even though he was soooo tired! He is taking a quick nap and then we are all gonna hang out! Wanna hear something super fun!! Shawners bought me a gift while he was Indonesia, he was in Jakarta. He bought me a GORGEOUS pearl necklace and pearl earrings! I feel sooo spoiled! They are beautiful!! I am already wearing the earrings!! I feel so pretty!
Ok, ok...enough gushing...on to card schtuff! This card was simple...the layout was from the 2 Sketches 4 You design team call they had. I love, love, love this sketch...I am definitely going to try my hand at this one again! I used the retired hostess set Event Full. The heart is from Boatloads of Love. I used crystal effects on all the hearts. I added some pink dew drops and the silver hardware (see I am getting better at not hoarding!) I used my color spritzer with a regal rose marker on the white paper. Oh and my circle nestabilities die for the scalloped circle.
gotta run...thanks for coming by!!
chat at ya later
what's in it?...
stamps...Event Full, Boatloads of Love, Amazing to Zany
paper...regal rose, soft sky, old olive, whisper white
ink...black staz-on, regal rose, soft sky, old olive, regal rose marker
accessories...pink dew drops, silver styled hardware, "fat" olive ribbon, crystal effects
other...color spritzer, circle punch, circle nestebilities die, cuttlebug, dimensionals

Zoo animals

Isn't this card cute...if I do say so myself. Wanna hear something crazy?...this is kinda funny...I chose this color combo and made this card before Kristina posted her color challenge. Her combo was pumpkin, celery, soft sky and vanilla...wild huh!!!? We must have been on the same wave length! After I saw her combo, then I made the rose card that is posted below!
Anyway...just a quick post tonight cuz the boys have friends sleepin' over and I need to get them set up for bed so I can go to bed!!
Yeah for tomorrow...tomorrow will be a great Monday cuz Shawners comes home!! He is actually in the air as I type. It's something like a 20 hour flight from Indonesia! yuck...glad it's him and not me....course I don't feel to bad...he's in first class so he isn't suffering to bad! {wink}
chat at ya later!
what's in it?...
stamps....Zoofari, PaperTray sentiments
paper...soft sky, certainly celery, pumpkin pie, basic black, whisper white, celery dsp
ink...soft sky, certainly celery, pumpkin pie, black staz-on
accessories...pumpkin brads, light blue ribbon
other...corner rounder, stamp-a-ma-jig, blender pens, paper piercer, circle punches, dimensionals

a rose by any other name...

Good Morning!! Ok, before I go much further I am going to explain myself cuz as I was looking back through some of my more recent posts they are all credited to some talented gals out there!!! {rightfully so} It just made me realize that I haven't been all that creative on my own. It's funny, cuz I know exactly why...when Shawn is out of town I kinda go into survival mode! I have wanted to stamp but my creativity was tired along with the rest of me...so I have been surfing the blogs to find my inspiration...by the time night rolls around & kids are in bed, my mind is ready to relax. So I hope you will forgive me that so many of my posts are CASEing your fabulous ideas out there!!
Ok...that said, last night I wanted to participate in Kristina's color challenge. I love this combo...so soft with just a little pop of color. I found this cool tutorial on Julie's blog. She shows you how to make a torn rose. I really love this...it's so easy, you can't mess it up. Mel also has a cool example on her blog...check it out! I used vanilla paper and sponged the edges with soft sky for my rose. I kept this card really simple cuz I didn't want to take away from the pretty flower!! Give this one a try...you will not be disappointed!
Before I go...a super, duper, HUGE THANK YOU to all you gals out there! You have been leaving the kindest comments! You have no idea how much I truly appreciate it!!! You Rock!!! Have a fabulous day!!!
chat at ya later...
what's in it?... stamps...Absolutely Fabulous, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
paper...very vanilla, soft sky, certainly celery, pumpkin pie
ink...soft sky, certainly celery, black
accessories...celery ribbon, half back pearl {Pretties Kit}
other...glue dots

a little sparkle

WOW...WOW...and WOW!! Miss LMac has done it again!! What would I do without her creativity and hard work?? I cased this stunning card from her!! How cute is this? I know, I know...in LMac's words "pick up your dropped jaws" and head over to LMac's blog and she will show you "how to become a stampin' seamstress"! This is the kind of "sewing" I can get on board with! Her directions were easy to follow and made this dress a snap. Ok...so I used brown and pink for my combo. You will notice on one of my cards I used 2 ribbons for the waist...this gal needed a little more help cinchin' up that waist...hmmm very familiar! I used flowers from my Pretties Kit that I colored in with my regal rose marker. I added some diamond stickles to some places to give it a little more sparkle.
Ok...I gotta get going...the day is getting away from me! Props to LMac!!! Have a wonderful Wednesday!
chat at ya later!
what's in it?...
stamps...Pick a Petal, Warm Words
paper...regal rose, close to cocoa, vellum, whisper white
ink...regal rose, chocolate chip
accessories...taupe ribbon, diamond stickles, flower and rhinestone brad (Pretties Kit)
other...stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals

halloween in July?...

Were you wondering what was going on?...seeing a Halloween card in the smack dab middle of July? Well I just got a crazy idea yesterday and so I ran with it! I made this card for the 2 sketches 4 you challenge. I love this layout...simple but so different with the scalloped edge hanging over a little. I used colors I hardly ever use...I pulled them from my Doodlebug paper...and it worked! How can you ever go wrong using Doodlebug...everything they make is darling!! I didn't do any stamping on the card. I used some glittery black stickers from making memories for the "boo!" and I used cardstock stickers from Doodlebug for the stars and bat. Hope you like my July Halloween card! ...sorta makes me wish it was fall...sorta! Have a terrific rest of your Tuesday!!
chat at ya later!
what's in it?...
paper...green galore, only orange, lovely lilac, doodlebug dsp
ink...only orange
accessories...black brads, black double stitch ribbon, cardstock stickers, alphabet stickers
other...paper piercer & mat pack, corner rounder, dimensionals

hello chick

Good Monday morning to all you out there!! Can I just say that waking up Monday morning with no alarm clock has got to be one of my most favorite things!! Nothing can start the week off better than waking up when you want to!! My kids are angels and help each each other out in the mornings and I usually get about a 1/2 - 1 extra hour after they have woke up to sleep!!! I know they enjoy it too...cuz that means some extra cartoon time before chores have to be started! Anyway...on to some card details. I made this last night before I went to bed...I just love this little bird!! I wanted to use some of my fall flowers dsp...I haven't used it in forever. I made a 5 1/4 square card. I used my oval nestabilities die for the scalloped oval and my oval cutter for the white oval. I colored the chick in with my blender pens and ink pads. I added stardust stickles to the middles of all the flowers on the dsp to give it a little sparkle. I used some of my styled silver hardware that I have been hoarding {sheepish grin}. I am getting better though..I hope that they put some of that in the new catalog!! I added some ribbon & dew drops to the corners and that's about it!
Have a wonderful Monday!!...hope your week is off to a great start too!!
chat at ya later...
what's in it?...
stamps...Hello Chick (stampendous)
paper...sahara sand, old olive, soft sky, whisper white, fall flowers dsp
ink...soft sky, old olive, apricot appeal, barely banana, black
accessories...olive ribbon, styled silver hardware, dew drops, stardust stickles
other...stamp-a-ma-jig, oval nestabilities, cuttlebug, dimensionals, oval cutter (cm)

...for the bride

I made this yesterday for the bride to be...I had a bridal shower I went to. I was in a hurry and so quickly snapped these pictures after I was done so I could go get ready. I forgot to take a picture of the inside...I had already tied the knot and put in the pin and I didn't want to mess it up! It took me a coupe tries to get the knot just the way I wanted it so the pin would sit the way I wanted it to!...so there was NO WAY that I was undoing it for a picture...sorry! Inside though I made a little slot for the gift card and I folded it 3 ways so it opened a little more fun than just a regular card. I colored in the image with blender pens and cut out the bouquet and added stickles so it stood out a little more. In the picture the celery paper looks a little bright but the actual card was really pretty and it was more subtle...like I said I was in a hurry! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!
chat at ya later!
what's in it?...
stamps...To Have and To Hold
paper...certainly celery, chocolate chip, kraft, very vanilla
ink...close to cocoa, certainly celery, so saffron, going gray
accessories...diamond stickles, chocolate satin ribbon, pretties kit (hat pin and beads)
other...stamp-a-ma-jig, blender pens, corner rounder, slit punch, sponge

a Friday challenge

I had to find something to do to pass the time last night without my hubby here...so I decided to do Taylor's Friday cupcake challenge. Although as you can see I went a slightly different direction than cupcakes!! I really need to stock up on some cupcake stamps though cuz I LOVE cupcakes!!! I inked up my bronc buster guy and embossed him with black powder. I did lots of sponging and distressing...I always seem to do that when I use this set cuz cowboys just seem to give off that very cool, dusty & distressed look! I added black brads that I sanded down a little and added some twine and made it into a lasso. I left the sentiment off so that I can add one when when I need it. Thanks for coming by today! I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!!
chat at ya later!!!
what's in it?...
stamps...Bronc Buster
paper...sage shadow, creamy caramel, close to cocoa
ink...versamark, close to cocoa, creamy caramel
accessories...black brads, twine, black ep
other...stamp-a-ma-jig, sanding block, sponge, color spritzer, heat tool, distresser, star punch

using up leftovers

Happy Friday to all you out there! Sad Friday for me...Shawners is leaving tonight for Indonesia and won't be back for 10 days!! We are going to spend the day together though so at least there is that! I made this card for the 2 sketches 4 you challenge. I was trying to use up some leftover card stuff from my eScape night. I am not quite sure I like this card yet which is why I didn't post it yesterday...but when I woke up and saw it again this morning it wasn't as bad as I remembered it, so I figured it might keep growing on me. I colored in my flowers with markers and added stickles to all the middles. I might try this sketch again, cuz I love the sketch!! Maybe what threw me was using up my leftovers!
I'm off to hang out with the fam for the day!
chat at ya later...
what's in it?...
stamps...Simply Said
paper...bashful blue, so saffron, certainly celery, white, Cutie Pie dsp
ink...black, markers; bashful blue, certainly celery, so saffron, rose red
accessories...rose & saffron buttons, blue gingham ribbon, diamond stickles
other...stamp-a-ma-jig, dimensionals, circle punches

a crabby birthday

Hi everyone! My fingers are a little crampy today while I am trying to type!! I spent the whole 2 hours from 9-11 voting with 2 phones for Thayne on "So You Think You Can Dance" last night! (he is my cousin) At one point the kids and Shawn got in on it with me and we had 5 phones going! I am anxious to see the results tonight...and my phone bill later so I can count up how many calls we made! Anyway....on to some cards stuff! I borrowed this darling crab set from a friend and since I still have it I thought I better get some more use out of it! I have lots of birthdays coming up in the next little while so I think I am going to make a few more of these! Not much to tell about this card that you can't already see! Hope you enjoy! I really, really appreciate all the kind comments that you gals have been leaving! THANKS!!!
chat at ya later...
what's in it?...
stamps...Crab & Co.
paper...pumpkin pie, real red, bashful blue, old olive, whisper white, Bali Breeze dsp
ink...pumpkin pie, real red, bashful blue, old olive, so saffron, creamy caramel
accessories...olive brads, crystal effects
other...stamp-a-ma-jig, hobby blade, 1 1.2 circle punch, paper piercer and mat pack, dimensionals

I forgot I made this a while ago and I never posted it...inside are a crab salt and pepper shaker that I gave to our friends to put in their condo ...it fit their decor perfectly...the whole beach theme!

a piece of cake!!!

...not so much! Ok here it is...the long awaited, much anticipated bridal shower favors I have been working on! Or maybe it just feels that way to me. I made 40 slices of cake! At the shower there will be 2 or 3 cake stands with cake and then we have extras to fill in the spaces as the slices are "eaten". I cannot in any way take credit for this darling idea! I have seen a few here and there on Splitcoast but nothing that caught my eye as much as these darling cake slices that Linda made! Stumbling onto her blog has turned out to be great for me!! :) She is a talented lady and funny too!...always a plus! She has fantastic directions if you want to try these too!! Ok...the bride to be's colors are black and white with accents of red. I decided to make the cake with brown textured paper so it would have a "cake" look. I copied the pattern onto each piece of paper from the computer. I first scored them all with an embossing tool and my ruler and then cut them out with my hobby blade. It was much quicker and a cleaner cut than using scissors. I made the frosting and filling with white paper. On the filling I tore the bottom edge and used diamond stickles to make it sparkly. The top edge of the filling I distressed with my fingernail (I noticed the next day after distressing the top edge that my nail suffered an injury...I have a little notch in my fingernail...it's all for the cause, right?) I stamped the swirl from the Priceless set onto the frosting twice. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig to make it appear "random" but perfectly placed. I used the large petal punch for the red flowers and a retired flower punch for the small black flower. The leaf is one petal from the large flower...I used my nail to curl it up. I attached them together with a silver brad and adhered them to the frosting with glue dots. The ribbon is from May Arts, is a sheer black with white polka dots. I filled each slice of cake with yummy chocolates. I hope that the bride to be and all her guests will enjoy these!! These "cakes" are time consuming but are pretty fun to make! I do have one question for ya'll out there...Do you think it needs something in the middle?...something to cover up the center? I would want it to be removable so it would just be for show while they are on the cake stands. Any ideas you have? I would LOVE to hear them!! Please leave me a comment and let me know!
thanks for stoppin' in!
chat at ya later...
what's in it?...
stamps...Priceless
paper...brown textured, white, real red, old olive, black, old olive
ink...black staz-on
accessories...may arts ribbon, silver ribbon, diamond stickles
other....stamp-a-ma-jig, embossing tool, ruler, hobby blade, glue dots, large flower punch, flowers for you punch

i needed a break...

from working on bridal shower favors (which are close to being done so I promise there will be pictures coming this week!!) I just needed a break from doing the same thing over and over again so I made this card pretty quickly so I could get back to work on favors. I used more of the fabulous summery WeR Memory Keepers "Whiteout" paper. It has a grid pattern on it so I used my spiral punch to make it look like torn out paper. I added some die cut flowers with a build-a-brad in the middle. (I punched out the paper for the brad from a scrap of the "whiteout" paper) I used the "happy" stamp from my Polka Dots & Paisley set...the card just said happy to me so it seemed appropriate. Hope you are still enjoying your weekend. **For those of you who were interested don't forget to check the post below for pics of my stamp space**
chat at ya later...
what's in it?...
stamps...Polka Dots & Paisley
paper...summer sun, WeR Memeory Keepers "Whiteout" dsp
ink...summer sun
accessories...die-cut blooms, build-a-brad, pewter brad
other...spiral punch, 1/2 in. circle punch, glue dots

my crafty place

HAPPY 4th of JULY!!!! We are getting ready for our BBQ, fireworks, games and all sorts of fun with the kids! Shawn took the kiddos for a bike ride while I stayed behind with Kyler. (he is resting) So I thought I would take a minute to post a few pics of my stamp area. I have had so many comments and questions and people wanting to see the rest of my space after posting the pictures of my "create" that I put up on my wall. I can't quite understand it, it's just a place that gets the job done. Don't get me wrong, I love my space...I have come a long way from the days of pulling out totes and leaving messes on the kitchen table! It's nice to have a place to call my own! I will say that I always have my space this clean. I cannot function if it gets messy...I like to keep it clean and organized...it's one of those things where I am pretty "Monkish"! Anyway...enjoy the pics! I hope you have a fantabulous 4th of July and enjoy the long weekend!!!

chat at ya later!...I got the shelves that are on the wall from IKEA. I stocked up so that I would have enough storage as I keep accumulating stuff. Since I don't need it all now I just keep some of the cards that I make on there. The bookshelf I got at Target.

I recently took my bulletin board down to make more room for my punches so it's on the floor for now till I decided where I want it.This is where I kinda hide my messes and keep extra things. The drawers hold my 12x12 papers my scrap kits and some scrap papers. I got these at Walmart. I need more though so I am gonna get 2 more to stack next to these ones. The file folders by the table legs are my scraps of paper...one for each color family. I find it easiest to just keep it right near me and the floor works well.

This is where all my stuff is that I always need access too. Punches, ink pads, ribbons, tools, etc. I got the ribbon holder and the other hanging shelf at Archivers. The shelf that holds my ink pads is from IKEA. (same as the shelves from the other picture)

Where I sit. I love that I can look out the window and watch the kids or just see what's going on in the neighborhood.
These shelves hold the stamps I use the most, my ink pads, cards to display and some punches. This is where things go that I use alot...it's my easy access wall!