My Day

It is my birthday today.....well actually not today, because I am scheduling this post a few days in advance so it will post on my birthday.

I received this card in the mail a few days before my birthday. It is from one of my best friends in the whole wide world. Kaycee is one of the sweetest, kindest, most giving people you will ever meet. I am so thankful and grateful that she is a part of my life. Even thought we are miles and miles away, sometimes it feels like she is right here with me.

I love this card. It is so us. It made me laugh out loud when I opened it up, and the kids wanted to know what was so funny. I told them it was a card that Auntie Kaycee sent to me. They looked at me kinda funny and went on their way!

Thank you Kaycee for the card, and thank you most of all for being my friend! I love you!

Kaycee is also a very talented photographer and owns her own business. I have a link to her website over on my sidebar. It is called Real life photographs. You should check out her work, she is truly an amazing artist!

So here's to another year.....this past year was a good one for me, and I hope that this coming year will prove to be the same!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Katie's Birthday Card

I can't believe my niece is 4 years old today!

Happy Birthday Katie!

Here is the card that I made for her birthday! I have really been into these party hats and these Martha Stewart Flowers lately. And I love pink and green together.....thought it would be really cute for a little girl! So here's another take on the birthday hat theme:

Hope y'all have a great weekend! I don't know if I'll get around to posting anything....going to try to get our taxes done and finish up some cards for the Papercrafts call! I don't want to wait until the last minute like last time and have a dozen cards that I'm trying to submit all at once with only 30 minutes until the deadline closes!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

My First Lawnscaping Challenge!

Hi everyone!

I have a new challenge that I have never played along with before! It is called the Lawnscaping challenge, and comes from the wonderful world of Lawn Fawn Stamps! This is the 4th challenge that has been issued over there at the Lawnscaping blog, and I'm super excited to be able to play along.

My only set back was that I only own ONE Lawn Fawn stamp set! So I am a bit limited when it comes to this challenge! The challenge asks for you to use at least one Lawn Fawn product, (although you don't have to), and since this is the set I have, this is the set I used!

There are a couple more LF sets that I have had my eye on, but one of them is out of stock, and so I am patiently waiting for the email letting me know that they have it back in! That way I can get it along with the others that I want and save on the shipping if I order everything at one time! What can I say.....just trying my best to save money in every possible way these days! One of the sets I want however, just happens to be the prize for winning this challenge, so wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Supplies:

Bake Me A Cake - Clear Stamp Set by Lawn Fawn

Whisper White Card Stock by Stampin' UP

Memory Box Patterned Paper - Brioche Collection

Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

Stampin' Write Marker in Red Riding Hood by Stampin' Up

Rhinestones by Stampin' UP

Yellow Flower Sticker by Martha Stewart Crafts

Dimensionals by Stampin' UP

Gray Owl Card

Here is one of the Gray Cards that I did not enter in the Moxie Fab Gray is the New Black Challenge. I really do like gray and orange together.

The kids are off of school this week! Yay, no getting up early and making lunches! I'm trying to sneak in a little crafting here and there, while still trying to spend as much time with the boys as I can. There a couple things I am stamping away for.....another Paper Crafts call, and of course the Stamping Royalty contest. And I just made my niece a birthday card too! (Her birthday is Friday, s I will post her card then!)

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

A Card For Baby Lola

In the midst of my stamping funk, I decided to make a card for my dear sweet friend Forrest's new baby, Lola!

Love the name by the way. It was one that was always on my list of baby names, but alas, I have four boys, so I was never able to use it. I'm happy that Forrest was.

As I have been trying to go through my stamping stuff, I have uncovered many a stamp that I had forgotten about! Imagine that. It's kinda been like Christmas Morning. The stamp I used on this card just happens to be one of those stamps. It's a Stamping Bella Stamp, called Sweet Pea!

I used some Memory Box paper, and pink Divine Twine, and of course, those super fun Labels 4 Nesties!

I'm just hoping to make it through today. I have card class tonight, and I was feeling a cold coming on last night as I was going to bed, and sure enough, I woke up sick. Yuck. But I have been taking stuff like a champ hoping to stave off whatever it is that is trying to get me down.

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

In a Funk and a Couple of Leftovers

Hey there!

Happy Tuesday......night that is. My day did not really go as planned. Funny how that happens to me.....just about every day.

I can't even explain to you the weirdness I feel. I am definately in a stamping funk. Lost my mojo, or something like that.

I was so excited last Friday when I received the emial from Papercrafts, letting me know that 3 of my cards were being picked up for publication. I have been in stamping heaven ever since then, and I think to day was the first time since then that I have had the opportunity to stamp.

And let me tell you.....it's just not there for me right now. I have been thinking all day that I want to create some really awesome cards....some for the most recent Papercrafts call, which is all about sketches, as well as make cards for the Stamping Royality Contest. I keep telling myself that I should be able to come up with some new and exciting cards, but I just can't. Do you ever feel like that? Like you just can't think of anything? I am surrounded with all these amazing stamps and supplies, and yet nothing is coming to me. Or the cards I have produced today have been CRAP. Not even worth taking pictures of......they just went straight into the recycle bin.

Maybe I'm just trying too hard, I don't know. So if anyone out there has any tips on how to get the stamping mojo flowing....please let me know!

I do however want to share a few Valentine's Cards that I just never got around to posting. Here they are!

Hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Papertrey Think Big Challenge

Here is a card I made for Papertrey Ink's Think Big Challenge. The challenge was to make a card with something REALLY big or oversized as the focal point of the card in honor of a new set they are releasing of sentiments in a really large font. Super fun.

So I decided to make a really big party hat on this card!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Supplies

Whisper White Cards Stock by Stampin' UP, Portobello Road "Boy"Dapper Dots Paper by My Mind's Eye

Basic Gray Ink by Stampin' UP

Handwritten Notes by Papertrey Ink

Flower Sticker by Martha Stewart Crafts, Corner Chomper by We R Memeory Keepers

A Papertrey Tag & Frame Challenge

I have been sneaking over to Nichole's blog and checking out all the fun challenges that they are having over at Papertrey Ink in honor of their 4th anniversary!

I have wanted to participate in all of the challenges they have had, but just haven't had the time with my busy schedule.

But I did get a chance to make a little tag for the Tag & Frame Challenge. And here it is:

Gonna keep this post short. It's been a long day with sick kids!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Supplies

Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla Textured Card Stock by Stampin' UP

Frames With a Flourish by Stampin' UP, Background Basics: Retro by Papertrey Ink, Handwritten Notes by Papertrey Ink

Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip Ink by Stampin' Up

Labels 4 Nestabilities Dies, Jute Twine by Papertrey Ink, Flowers by Martha Stewart Crafts, Rhinestones by Stampin' UP, Dimensionals

WHOOO HOOOOO!

I am so ecstatic, that I just have to share my excitement.

I just got home from the doctors office with Sam. He has strep throat and Scarlet Fever. Scary. But we got the meds and he should be okay.....sorry to digress. Anyway, it's been a crazy day, and I decided to check my email, and there it was.......the loveliest email I think I have ever received!!!

I am going to have 3 cards published in the upcoming Stamp It Cards Vol. 8 of Papercrafts Magazine.

I am so excited I could scream! But I won't because the baby is sleeping!

Thanks for letting me share my excitement with you! This is truly a dream come true for me!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

i love hanging out with you

Here is a card that did not make the cut for cards that I submitted for publication. I don't know why but I just decided not to submit it. But that means that I can share it here on my blog!

I saw these little hangers in a stamp/paper crafting store a few weeks ago, and just thought they were adorable.

I think I might give it to Kerry for Valentine's Day, even though I don't really care for the holiday that much. Way back in the beginning of our marriage, I threatened him that if he ever brought me flowers let alone roses on Valentine's day, he would be in so much trouble, he wouldn't ever see the end of it. I know that's kinda backwards from what most people want, but I just don't see the point in spending three times the amount of money on flowers than at any other week during the year. And second, if he really wants to do something lovely for me, I would much rather him do it on some random day, and not because Hallmark told him this as the day to do some thing for someone you love.

Sorry about my little rant there. Anyway, I think I might have to give him this card, even though he's already seen it ( I show him all the cards I make, and bless his heart, he puts up with me doing so). I just love him, and am so happy that he is my husband and the father of our 4 children!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

MY OH MY.....

A new experience for me.

One of the things I wanted to do this year was to submit cards for publication. I just finished my first batch, and boy am I tired.

I think I learned along the was as well.

When I first saw the call, February 7th seemed like such a long way off, and even though I have had the cards that I submitted finished for some time now, I still had all the submitting to do. I think that from now on, I will submit the cards as I make them instead of waiting until the last moment to get them all in. My hands and wrists are quite sore from all the typing.

What a load of time that took! Ha! Why didn't any of ya'll tell me how long that was going to take?

For the most part this was a really fun experience for me. I have no idea how long it takes once things are submitted to find out.......I made a boatload of cards, and it's been really tough to not post them here on my blog, but I guess that's the price for trying to get published!

I do have a card that I am hoping to get posted tomorrow, one that I didn't get around to submitting.

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

A New Challenge For Me

Happy Friday everyone!

Here is a new challenge I found at the CPS blog (Card Positioning Systems, not Child Protective Services.....hee hee!) Here is the sketch and the card I made!

Since I have been working so hard on making card for recent publication calls, I feel like I haven't had a chance to make much that I am able to post. But I found this blog, and it looked like a fun sketch, so I tried it out!

It's a rainy day here.....really dark and dreary, so I had to take the pic inside. I'm so thankful that we had some really beautiful days earlier in the week so I could get pictures for all my cards for publication taken outside. I think they turn out better.

Hope ya'll have a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Supplies

Paper: Very Vanilla Card Stock, Very Vanilla Textured Card Stock (SU) My Minds Eye Portobello Road "Boy" Dapper Dots Paper

Ink: Crumb Cake (SU)

Stamps: Handwritten Notes (Papertrey Ink)

Other: Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon by SU, Corner Chomper by We R Memory Keepers, Sponge and Ink for distressing, Martha Stewart Flower stickers, Rhinestones by SU

Color Throwdown #127

I decided this year I was going to stamp because it brings me joy.

I decided to take the pressure off myself to feel like I have to post all the time. I wanted to get back to the roots of why I first began stamping and why I began blogging my creations - because it brought me happiness, and I wanted to share my joy and my creations with others.

With that said it has been a while since I have participated in some of the challenges that I have had a lot of fun playing along with. The Color Throwdown being one of them. So here's a card I made for this weeks color challenge!

Here's the color palate I was given:

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Sketchy Thursday.....what's that you say?

It has been SO LONG since I have played along with Tracy's Sketchy Thursday! Honestly, it has been months and months! So here's a shout out to all those faithful Sketchy Thursday players!!! It feels great to play along with y'all once again! Oh, how much I have missed it.

The past day or so has been a bit crazy and stressful for me. I had this idea for this card in my head when I saw the sketch....and it wasn't till today that I need a little 'time out' from all the stuff I've been dealing with, so I decided to relieve my stress by gettin' my craft on!

Gonna keep this short, as I have to feed Kellan a little something before we head up to school to pick up the other boys!

Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful day!

Supplies:

Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake (SU), Basic Grey Kioshi Papers

Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU)

Stamps: Happy Birthday (A Muse)

Other: Jute Twine (PTI) Pink Rhinestone (stash)