GinnyLou Studio

happy birthday (to me)

2011-05-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

hey y'all!

i thought i'd pop in for my birthday and say hello/ goodbye (i gotta run... i'm watching 4 kids between the ages of 9 and 1 for my friend for part of the day & part of yesterday).

and, since i love you so much, i thought i'd share some cards with you as well. i never know what you're in need of inspiration wise, but i hope this fits the bill in some way :D

the first one up features a free-hand patterned paper banner with Lawn Fawn stamps that i borrowed from Paulina one time we had a crazy crafting session a while back...

and here we have a VERRRY me card... that color, the glitter, the flower, the ribbon leaves, etc. (p.s. if i've shared this card before, enjoy it a 2nd time!)

anyway, that really IS all i have time for, but best wishes to you all...

hello sunshine! Denami Blog Hop

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

welcome to the Denami Design Blog Hop!

you should have come here from Karen's blog. if you didn't you can start over here.

this time we're going with a MONOCHROMATIC theme along the hop. don't forget that Denami is giving away TWO $20 gift certificates to the website to TWO people who comment along the hop! you have until April 11, 2011, 11:59pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs (to be eligible for a prize). :D

so for my card, i LOVE the 'hello' sentiment Denami has, and since yesterday was one of the first sunny days Washington has seen in a long time, i decided to go wiht a monochromatic SUNSHINE card :D it makes me smile! the paper comes from Basic Grey, Cosmo Cricket, and October Afternoon. i added some stickles to some of the sun's rays and bling by the sentiment (it looks dark, but it's really a gold yellow). the felt/ chipboard sun is from Me and My Big Ideas.

i had a ton of fun making this, and also limiting myself to one color :D who would have thought? i'm actually writing this in Seattle as i'm on a scrapbook retreat... so far we've had TONS of laughs, quite a few things accomplished, and most of all--FUN :D

the next blog on the hop is Samantha's... thanks for stopping by and leaving your encouraging comments! :D have a lovely Sunday!

wish big.

2011-04-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

celebrate with style!

hehe, i think that this card does just that... celebrate with S.T.Y.L.E.

if my memory serves me correctly, i meant to post this for a former Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger. (like... a LOOOONNNNGGGGGGGG time ago.) oh well. it's still a pretty card, and i still have yet to give it away ...although there's a few weddings this summer... one of the lucky ladies will probably get this during a shower.

i tried making my own paper flowers for this one, and i seriously LOVED it. i think that i'll have to do it again, but next time with some double sided patterned paper. wouldn't that be awesome to see two different patterns on the same flower? i think so :D

anyway, i glittered the flowers and used PTI's sentiment stamp from the Big & Bold set, and also put some Amy Butler paper as the background with some Webster's Pages velvet trim, and seam binding as well.

i love how clean and pretty it looks. what do you think? does it work as a wedding/ congratulations card?

my brain isn't always logical...

2011-04-06T15:17:00.001-07:00

hey everyone! long time, no see, right?

well, i wanted to share a few things with you, but beware! they're in no particular order and aren't necessarily crafty:

my friend Paulina has an awesome fitness blog and she's having a GIVEAWAY that you can still get entered in
i recently joined PINTEREST and have become quite addicted. thankfully i'm busy right now, so my time on the site is limited, but BOY oh BOY!
my co-teacher Jen and i are heading to Seattle this weekend for our twice yearly scrapbook retreat... we're going to be experimenting with paperbag scrapbooks, so it should be fun... oh, and we'll also be making sure that we just relax and enjoy ourselves, maybe have a drink or two :D

i'm going to be joining a band in the next week... i know what you might be thinking, a BAND?? really? well, it's not a rock band, and i'm not going to be singing... i'll be playing one of the two instruments i know--the tenor saxophone (i've played the clarinet for longer, but don't enjoy it as much). i'll be in a community band (about 40 people, aged 16-70+) that practices once a week and plays concerts throughout the year. it seems like it's laid-back, which is perfect for me since i won't be able to go to every single practice, you know? BUT, one thing you should know. i am SUPREMELY excited about this. in my college search back in HS, i specifically looked for a college that had 3 things: water polo, marching band, and a good education program. i was blessed to have found one that specifically met my requirements :D so yes, i have "band camp" stories, and they're actually hilarious. i loved playing ALL FOUR YEARS in my college marching band. in fact, if i could afford it, i'd go back every single year and play in the alumni marching band performance they have every fall. music for me is almost like crafting... it relaxes me, and i love being a part of a group. does anyone kwim?
i'm currently reading "To Kill A Mockingbird," and i really love it. i somehow missed reading this in HS or college, and i'm so glad i picked it off my shelf recently.
(photo courtesy of Amazon.com)
my birthday is coming up, and i recently discovered the Amazon Wishlist feature. does anyone else use this? i think it's awesome because you can post anything from the internet to whatever wishlist you want, and it puts it all in one place. amazing.
the library system in my county now has free music downloads through a resource called "freegal." the music you get can even be downloaded to an iPod, etc. how cool is that?? :D

i'm decorating birdhouses instead of making cards or scrapbooking. i mean, i'm not going to stop doing either of the other things (tongue-twister there), but for RIGHT NOW, i've been making some decorative birdhouses that will go around my apartment.

(note to self: still must share apartment photos. after i do 4 loads of laundry. *le sigh*)

and that's it, i think... oh, please come back for the DeNami Design Blog Hop on sunday...

because it will be awesome... thanks for stopping by and leaving your lovely comments :D

a few things i love...

2011-02-14T14:14:00.000-08:00

happy valentine's day! mine is being spent at home from work because i have the flu... my fever broke last night, but two days of chills and overheating has me wiped. i'm trying to take it easy, so i thought i'd save a full project for a different day.

one thing i love doing is sharing some of the things that make me smile, so i'll jump right in:

1) Glee... love it. can't wait to own season 2 on DVD.

2) almond cluster granola (in bulk) for cheap at the local grocery store. $0.78/ lb is hard to beat!

3) an upcoming project that i personally think is amazing... sneak peek below:

4) fleece blankets (you know the kind that are 2-layers, tied along the edges?) in pink and zebra print. what lifesavers when i was shivering my skin off during this fever/ flu.

5) my mom who calls me just because and upon hearing i'm sick announces, "i'm coming over. what do you want me to bring?" and then despite my protests of, "i'll make you sick," brings a HAUL from Costco... microwaveable meals, juice, chocolate milk (my fav), 4 pots of petunias, pre-mixed salad, frozen lasagna, mini cinnamon rolls, almond cookies, and a bouquet of valentine's day roses. gosh, i'm one lucky girl, huh?

what are you loving right now? i'd love to hear what makes you smile! :D

...and that's all i have for today, go enjoy yourself!

DeNami Buttons Blog Hop

2011-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

welcome! so glad you could join in on the fun with the Denami Buttons Blog Hop! you should have come from Sue Lelli's blog, and if you didn't/ got lost/ want to start at the beginning, then just go HERE. :D you're sure to see inspiration from everyone today!

today i have a non-traditional project to share with you... i actually couldn't decide on which one to show until friday night, when i wore this necklace to a jr. high dance i was chaperoning :D (oh, don't you remember those days of young love? :) hehe!)

so for this necklace, i borrowed my idea from Jennifer McGuire, and i dug through my stash of buttons to find a rainbow collection, which for anyone who knows me, is TOTALLY my style. i tell people all the time that my favorite COLOR is "red, black, pink, and blue. oh, and i like orange, yellow and green too. purple's not bad either!" you see?

and of course i have to package it all pretty :D i stamped a white dot background with the Denami polka dots [love!] and then added some ribbon and flowers... as well as that cute tag that features a Denami sentiment, "you're a sweetie!" wouldn't this make a great gift for someone? a sweet little surprise? :D

so what do you think? i love wearing this with just about anything, and it's totally a rush when someone asks--"DID YOU MAKE THAT??" ha! anyway, hope you enjoyed... be sure to leave a comment for a chance to qualify for a gift certificate to Denami Design. oh, and be on your way to Ruza Rebel's fabulous blog for more eye candy!

happy hopping & come again! :D

boy, do i love pink!

2011-01-11T23:05:00.000-08:00

first of all, can i say WOW! i had so many comments on my blog hop post HERE that i was smiling for two days straight :D seriously! oh, also, if you need a break and want a laugh, you should check out my embarrassing story over HERE a few posts back :D

well, i thought i would share a card that also comes from one of previously un-posted folders of my computer... i like this card because it showcases one of my obsessions:

PINK!

ha! so you've noticed a few things: PTI sentiment stamps (borrowed from Paulina) and then a felt swirl, pink Denami ribbon, pink flowers, MME polka dot paper... and it goes on! my favorite colors are red, black, PINK and blue. and then i like orange, green, yellow and purple too :D

and to document the reality of my obsession with pink, here is my Christmas tree (with horrible lighting, but sadly the best i could get all season). i made all the bows myself, and bought most of the ornaments from WalMart, Target, or Michael's... all for cheap.

my friends and family all loved it when they visited, and i got a few sweet comments like, "can we just take this one home and give you ours to decorate here?" or "your tree belongs in a department store" ...all those sweet friends!

i added some white poinsettia flowers among the branches because my pink/ white theme needed more of the 'white' side :D i think i had 6 strands of pink lights in addition to the pre-lit set already on this (FREE) artificial tree. what did your tree look like last year?

anyway, thanks for visiting, hope you have a great Wednesday!

DeNami Scallops Blog Hop

2011-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

welcome to the DeNami Design Scallops Blog Hop! you should have made your way over here from Tina's blog if you're following the bunch of talented crafters. :D remember, if you get lost along the way, just head on back to the DeNami Design blog and pick up where you left off.
okay, just a few reminders about the hop:

you have a chance to win a $20 gift certificate for commenting on the blogs along the way, so don't forget to leave some love for each of the lovely gals! :D
also, the commenting doesn't end today, you can comment all the way until January 10, 2010, 11:59pm PST to be eligible for a prize.

sounds like fun, huh? well, let's get to it then...

my scallops project was super fun to create, and i totally love the results.
it amazes me to say this, but this has to be my first CARD creation in... forever? i've been busy working on mini-scrapbooks and before Christmas i was scrambling to finish mini-albums for some family members. i just didn't fit cards in!
so here we go...
this card features a Fiskars scallop punch called "threading water" that i absolutely LOVE and always come back to... it's timeless and cute--perfect for just about everything. paired up some dinosaur paper from MME and the sentiment "Lil Baby Stomps" (including the DeNami "baby" swirl script sentiment). the inside is one of my favorites because it says, "congratulations on your little guy's first steps!" hehe, super cute, huh? :D i know who i'll be sending this one to!
this card was easy, but cute... kinda what we all need every now and then, huh?

anyway, thanks for visiting! i love seeing all your lovely encouraging remarks!

also, don't forget that your next stop is over at Amy Smidebush's blog. you're sure to enjoy her project--she's such a sweetie too! thanks again, and happy hopping :D

flashback 6.0 & birthday wishes

2011-01-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

hello again! do you all know who Amy Tsuruta is? yeah, you know, the awesome Washingtonian who always has a kind word for everybody?

she's been hosting a challenge over at her blog, and it's called "flashback friday." this week's version challenges you (thanks Yvonne!) to share:

**The first card you blogged about that featured an unexpected find from your home**

so here we go. i know this may look kinda normal to you, but that stamp on the lower right, in the circle... that's my unusual object, because when i was at my parent's house, i found this stamp that my dad had tucked away in some drawer or shelf... who knows what he would have used it for since he was a technical writer for Boeing before he retired a few years back.

anyway, that's the first card i could find with an unusual object to me... i know it might not count to some of you, so i dug up another post...

this one featured one of my first scrapbook pages (which i didn't know how to photograph)

do you see the ticket saying "keep this coupon" and the embellishment on that big pink strip at the top? that's a Baskin Robbins (31 flavors of ice cream) cut-out... i found it around the house and used it in this layout because i think i won some ice cream or something... haha, don't even remember!

and of course, i thought i'd share a new card with you too, so here we go:

this one actually went to my Principal for her birthday... it was a while ago, but i never blogged about it. i think i made this card while stamping with my friend Paulina who has some serious blog candy going on right now... you can win $40! you should head over and check it out!

anyway, i hope your friday is fabulous, and thanks for stopping by! :D

dude! upcoming CSN product review

2011-01-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

hi there blog friends!

i have some exciting news about a deal from CSN stores... the full story (below) is delicious and embarrassing, so read on to get the juicy details. but just as a tidbit, did you know that CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from stylish handbags, to Herman Miller chairs, or great cookware? yuppers, that's right... so keep on reading here...

but first,

can i ask you a question? why are good things so difficult sometimes? take blogging for instance... i love the encouragement and community i gain from being surrounded by amazing people, but sometimes i forget to schedule time into my calendar to enjoy those things. and the holidays... i'm a HUGE Christmas fan, but sometimes being with family is rough, and even though it's good/ you miss them... well it still, dare i say, sucks?

that being said, i'm glad to be back. maybe regularly, maybe not. i'm not gonna lie, i really don't know how this year is gonna pan out.

i just know it'll be fun. and awesome. and exciting...

oh yeah, like this amazing and exciting "FIRST" for me... i get to review a product for CSN stores!! i've wanted to do a review on something for like, FOREVER, and i never have... i mean, i've even offered my services as a book reviewer for my sister Cecelia, and i still don't think she's asked me (oh wait, there must be an email about that book tucked away somewhere...) but, that's not the point. i get to do a review. now, i'm not a resolution person, and i actually don't have many goals written down, except for maybe get.married.soon. (ha! after i find a guy! *goes looking...*) so when i heard about this opportunity to get FREE STUFF, i actually emailed my sister something along these lines (ahem, exact wording included):

"this seems fake. what do you think?"

...like, i rubbed my eyes and shook my head, pinched myself, looked over the details in the email, and then realized that i had accidentally sent the question to Cameron, the awesome CSN representative i'd been hearing from.

OOPS. hehe, CRAP. *hits head against wall, tries to unsend email, prays that it doesn't go through*

and then i sent the query FO' REALZ to my sister, and she zapped me back with:

"That's how I got my free pan and bakeware and coffee press! Doooooo iiiiit."

(you know in that crazy voice that that one guy does in that one commercial...? no remember? eh, oh well.)

and then i hoped that since i'd ~~resolved~~ wait, decided that i was gonna DO THIS, that Cameron wouldn't write me off as some crazy person which i so totally am not even when i do bounce around teaching my students things like when the clock says "12:34" you should lift both feet off the ground and 'make a wish.' yes, that's right, i teach 7th grade... i try to get to their level... HA!

and turns out, i'm not as psycho as numerous testings have revealed. so it's a good thing on both counts. 'cuz CSN stores have like, EVERYTHING! i'm totally hitting up the cookware... and maybe a shoe horn.

so here's a sneakie peak at what i PLAN/ HOPE to get from this deal-io (all of my wish-list is totally subject to change and my every whim which is totally understandable considering the awesomeness offered to me for FREE!!!)

a hand mixer. (which i don't have... hmm--problem? yes. soon to be rectified!)

a microplane zester (good for zesting things. Ree, the Pioneer Woman recommends them, as does a best friend of mine... freshly zested nutmeg topping whipped cream on top of hot buttered rum is like... HEAVEN. can i die now? just kidding... now, i may not get a pink handle, we'll see how i'm feeling about my favorite colors when i place my order :D ha!)

i say that the best part about this is, that when i do my review of the products i get from CSN, and when i use these items when i make cakes or cupcakes, or muffins, or icing, or on mixed drinks, or to get my shoes on, i'll think of you all and remember to blog more. (or at least that's what i'm hoping...)

and that, my friends, is all i think i can muster today. we'll talk about cards and scrapbooks later, and how my craft room is even more awesome than i thought possible, and maybe...

oh bugger, i'll just let you leave, and you can stop by later and see what i mean.

loves!

(oh, i almost forgot to ask... any thoughts on the new banner? i'm debating whether to lose the dotted background part... comments welcome! :D thanks dearies!)

DeNami Tag Blog Hop

2010-12-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

welcome to the DeNami Design Blog Hop featuring tags! hope you'll find some inspiration along the away!

you should have come from Ruza's blog HERE, but if you missed her creation (or any of the others), then you can always start at the beginning of the hop at the DeNami Blog.

i had a great time making this gift tag--i used two DeNami stamps--"baby" for the sentiment "baby it's cold outside" and then on the opposite side, "you're so sweet!" fun stuff, huh? that polar bear with the cute little snow cones always cracks me up. of course there's some patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket's Jolly by Golly 6x6 pad.

don't forget that if you comment before midnight on December 11th (PST) you have a chance to win one of THREE $20 gift certificates to the DeNami Design website... how cool is that? be sure to leave some love along the way.

so now you're off to Kristy Smith's blog HERE, you'll be sure to see some eye candy there!

Merry Christmas and happy hopping! :D

welcome December! & vintage love

2010-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

hi everyone! it's December now, and it's my favorite time of the year--Christmas! :D i've been so excited about Christmas for the last few weeks (or maybe even months) that i know i've had several dreams about my decorations, how things will work out when family comes to visit, etc.

are you getting excited for the season too? i sure hope you are... it's coming sooner than we know! :D

so i know a lot of people have been talking about doing a December Daily scrapbook album, and i've actually planned ahead to join the fun. in mid-November I made all my foundation pages and sparsely embellished some of them, so i'm all set to go! i can't wait to have a daily record of the things i do in December... whether they tie into Christmas or not!

so, i also have a card for you... it's sort of a vintage shabby card, and it would be perfect for a wedding or anniversary. the sentiment reads 'happily ever after' but it's hard to see in the picture. speaking of 'ever after,' during the snow storm here last week, i had a friend and her family come over to wait for traffic conditions to get better, and we watched that movie. a SERIOUS favorite of mine :D

oooh, see that doily peeking out? i'm loving doilies (just like everyone else :D) and thought it matched perfectly. there are also some Sassafras papers (not on the bright side of things like i normally do) and a graphic 45 tag too. i got to borrow a PTI set from Paulina for the sentiment, and i used some DeNami Design grosgrain ribbon for that sweet little bow :D

this card just makes me sigh... now if only i could find a man ...hehehe! :D

well, i think that's it for now... go and enjoy your first day of December--things will get crazy soon!

so thankful...

2010-11-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

with Thanksgiving coming up, i thought i would share some of the people and things i'm thankful for... God has blessed me in so many ways, and i can't be thankful enough! so here goes a completely UN-COMPREHENSIVE list in no particular order:

music! i really really love listening to music. i think it can change a mood right away. currently i'm totally digging Christmas music (and have been for at least a month), but the current favorite i just bought on iTunes is "Pennies from Heaven." hehe, so fun!
my family--love them so much. my parents are awesome and supportive, and my brothers are super sweet and they never fail to make me smile. Peter and Joey still live close to me, and getting to see them brightens my day. AND! everyone will be together for this Christmas. Cecelia is coming from D.C., Lincoln will be jetting in from PA, and my grandma and my aunt are coming from NY. who knows when the next time me and my siblings will all be together like that again. it hasn't even happened yet, but i'm already thankful it's going to! :D
Christmas! i love celebrating the birth of Jesus, and i love everything that it entails. i'm a fan of traditions, but i'm so totally excited to decorate in my own place in just my style. since i have a pink living room and bedroom, i'm thinking of going with a sweet and girly tree and decorations (aka pink and green!)--of course i'll be making some handmade decorations, and i'll have to share them with you :D

this one i found HERE was sooo pretty!

friends. this includes so many people. the ones that care about how i'm feeling and how it's been going, the ones who pray for me, the ones i get to meet up with and we don't skip a beat even though it's been ages since we got together, my sister, my daily best friend, my co-teacher, my crafty buddies... they help me in so many ways. i only hope that i'm half as reliable or steadfast as they are. i just seem SO lucky. actually, BLESSED.

sandwich grills. addicted and about ready to give them as Christmas gifts to everyone i know. they make grilled perfection every single time no matter what the contents! *LE SIGH*

scrapbook retreats--i counted up the actual 'completed pages' and even though not all of them are 12x12, i still had a record productive weekend: i completed 82 pages!!!! w00t w00t! :D

bursts of ingenuity when teaching or planning for school--it helps so much! i love doing something that makes students think!

coupons and sales. these make me so happy. good deals MUST be endorphin boosters, would you agree?

diet coke. helplessly addicted.

laughing--i am so thankful for laughter.

water polo with all its challenges and physical demands. i think what others say is 'insane' actually keeps me 'sane.' oh, the irony.

and YOU, my precious blog readers... you are a constant source of encouragement that i feed off of. i am blown away by your support. i love reading your comments!

oh, and you thought i wasn't going to share a card? hehe--nope, i've got one here:

i used tons of Sassafras papers that made me think 'vintage' so i de-hoarded a length of vintage lace trim and then inked up the edges, and finally i added a fun swirl stamp i picked up from Impress a year ago. i also added a few BG felt stickers--they're perfectly wonderful texture-wise on this acetate card. oh, and i used an EK border punch for the inside edges. fun stuff in sort of fall colors--what do you think?

so, what are you thankful for? i'd love to hear what has blessed you lately :D thanks for stopping by!

Christmas music makes me smile...

2010-11-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

wow, i have to say, that participating in the DeNami Blog Hop yesterday was so much fun... if you missed it, then check out my card HERE. i seriously LOVED reading all your comments on my non-traditional Christmas card.

they made me smile. and they made me feel really special. :D

and then i thought, 'why don't i do this more often?'

because, you see, your comments are the fuel that makes me want to post... so here i am again!

this card makes me smile, and it's so simple. it has some Sassafras goodness on it, and features a PTI sentiment from Dawn's Signature Greetings... and it's so NOT a Christmas card--in fact, it's a birthday card!

so yeah. another thing that makes me smile is listening to Christmas music on the radio. see, i've been listening to my holiday tunes via CD in my apartment and in the car, but NOW one of the local radio stations is playing 24/7 Christmas music.

ah, be still my heart!

i will be happily dancing around to "Jingle Bell Rock" all the way through January :D

thanks for stopping by, you're the best!

DeNami Christmas Blog Hop!

2010-11-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

welcome to the DeNami Design Christmas Blog Hop!

you should have arrived from Michele's blog. but, if you didn't start along with us, head back to the DeNami Design blog and follow all the way from the beginning. and, if you plain just don't know what's going on, check out the info below:

When: The blog hop starts on November 14th at 8 AM, PST. However, you have until November 15, 2010, 11:59pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs (to be eligible for a prize).

Why: To be inspired by stunning DeNami Design Christmas creations and also the chance to win mini shopping sprees on the DeNami Design website!

Prizes: We are giving away THREE $20 gift certificates to our website! We'll be giving away one gift certificate to a random participant (DT members not eligible) and then we'll also be giving away TWO gift certificates to TWO people who comment along the hop!

so it sounds like fun, right? i agree :D right now i'm actually enjoying a weekend of scrapbooking in Seattle... fun stuff, and i'm actually being productive too!

anywho, on to the blog hop card i made. this one features a non-traditional take on Christmas, but i love this DeNami stamp and glitter :D

you all know the Bing Crosby song, Meli Kalikimaka? yeah... that song is one of my favorites of the season, and truth be told, i've actually been playing Christmas music for a long time. now, i'm not usually one of those 'forget Thanksgiving people' and move to Christmas, but this year, even though i'm not forgetting Thanksgiving, i am really excited for Christmas. like, a LOT.

the above is a close-up... the rhinestones (love 'em!) are from my stash, and the letter stickers are from Making Memories that complete the sentiment. i love that hibiscus flower stamp... seriously so fun and cute, so i shaded it and glittered the center.

hope you have fun checking out the rest of the ladies along the hop--they have some seriously awesome projects to share.

next on your stop is Angela! you'll totally want to see what she cooked up for the Christmas blog hop!

have fun, and thanks for stopping by! :D

what's for dinner?

2010-11-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

i'm currently pondering the answer to this question on this lovely November day.

i could quite possibly be leaving you soon for a little bit of take-out, or maybe i'll be inspired by my fridge selections. who knows?

anyway, i hope you have been enjoying some of the fall things happening now... i feel a little out of sorts with the season changing, because today in WA we had 70 + degree weather--totally record breaking! so different from our normal downpours :D

the card i made has a really simple design--the main sentiment panel is a Cosmo Cricket label from "early bird" collection, i believe. the yellow heart patterned paper is Sassafras, and it's perfect. i tucked a doily and a Bazzill flower behind the upper portion of the label, and added vintage buttons topped with pearls--so pretty, huh?

this card would be perfect for a busy mom or grandma who's always running around getting things done. do you ever feel like that? hehe, i KNOW you do. anyway, i really think that's it for today, other than to say that...

1) i'm still doing NaNoWriMo, which makes me crazy, and busy, together.

2) i got my own internet!!! *yay* this happened one day ago. i should be commenting more, and posting more too.

3) i go on a scrapbook retreat for 3 days on nov 12-14... so super excited for dedicated craft time!

and i hope you all have a lovely night! XOXOX

all shapes and sizes

2010-10-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

still posting some of the older projects from my computer. today's comes from an afternoon when i made some zuchinni bread and muffins to share with other teachers at school. this tag was for the cheerleading coach and the home ec teacher... (and it was actually in the shape of a triangle flag--a leftover that i had from a banner project for school.)

this little baggie was for my co-teacher, and it housed three of the muffins i made. i used a group of papers from my 'red scrap' pile. since i've been in love with banners lately, i thought that one would be cute to put on this bag with some bling in between.

oh, and another thing, i'm in love with doilies. like, hardcore in love. so much it's almost sick. i love how this doily looks with the Cosmo Cricket "hey there cookie" panel. i just do.

and that's that for the zucchini bread. i love making bread. especially banana bread. i have some bananas waiting to be transformed that i've been saving in my freezer... maybe i'll dig up some free time this weekend to work on a loaf or two :D

thanks for stopping by, and also for leaving your encouraging comments! they mean a lot to me. btw, i think that you'll like some of the projects i have coming up. at least, i hope you will! ta ta, have a lovely day!

you are special...

2010-10-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

you really are. i can't believe you stop by and read my blog. it makes ME feel special. but really, we're still talking about you here. (how do i get off on tangents sooo quickly? it must be a disease *le sigh*)

today's card comes from the vaults and crannies in my computer.

i am reorganizing my craft room which is sort of out of commission (making way for a bigger table, which means i'll now have 3 work surfaces to crowd with paper, etc!) and i haven't posted a lot of the projects i have on my computer.

this card was made specifically for a teacher that had to leave our school because her military husband was moved to a different base across the country. i was originally going to give her a smaller card, but realized it wouldn't hold all of the signatures/ well-wishes that my staff would be writing, so the card is HUGE (i used a whole 8.5 x 11 sheet)!

and that's it. i have a proverbial pile of projects that need to be posted, so look for them later.

thanks for stopping by, i hope your weekend is fabulous!

the new busy

2010-10-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

**EDIT: as i look at the 'scheduled date' on this post, i notice that it's about three weeks late. and since i figure you deserve to know what i was {{GOING}} to say, i'll just publish the old post part in RED. so then just look for the regular 'now' stuff in black at the bottom. cool? good.**

oh hey. yeah, so i think i owe you an apology. i've been absent from the blog as of late.

it's one of those things... school started, swim coaching continued, practice times got changed, the internet i'm mooching off of someone else in my apartment complex has been UBER splotchy and sketch lately, and then there's the fact that i've been doing more baking and cooking recently which has to do with a budget crunch in my world... should get better after October (which is still a long ways away!), and i just haven't been around.

so i guess that's my excuse? which, i hate getting as a teacher, but i figure you all should know what's been going over here.

moving on.

i made a quiche on sunday night! (this was after i made three homemade pizzas... crust and everything to have as a lunch option this week.) it was lovely. i didn't follow a recipe really, but i looked online at a few places to give me a starting point for portions. i took a picture. i know it's cheating to just show you a picture and not the recipe, but frankly, i'm too tired to link it up.

so how 'bout you search 'quiche' in Google-land and do what i did and make it up? i bet it'll taste awesome! i mean, it has eggs and CHEESE, right? right. so yes, we're good.

oh, and random fact #23: i still have sand in the front pocket of my hoodie from a trip i took to the beach this summer. VERY recent discovery, btw. i've even washed this thing a few times (well, maybe just one). so, i put my cell phone in there to keep it toasty (well, actually, more like to keep it handy) and i pulled it out a minute ago and it had all these little specks of sand on it. grr. annoying! (said like Gru from "Despicable Me" would say, "LIGHTBULB!!!" hehe... makes me smile every time!) just thought you should know.

fun fact #57: a little seventh grade boy cut his hair because of me and what i said in class. i felt bad. for about a minute. and then i realized it was beneficial to both of us that he could now see out of his eyes instead of swiping them to the side every 3 seconds.

that is all.

so back to the regularly scheduled program. ha! so swimming ended yesterday--we had our last meet of the season, and now all that is left to do is have an end of the year banquet and send out the lettering certificates, etc.

i have a project for you (well, kinda a project). i made a whole bunch of fall leaves from my Cricut. i used the "Stretch Your Imagination" and "Wild Card" cartridges. i cut a HUGE pile of leaves out of a HUGE stack of paper (patterned and sort of matching). they're now hanging around my apartment making my place look more fall-like. i went to the thrift store the other day and picked up all the ribbon/ bias tape that is holding all the leaves together.

doesn't it make my curtains and blinds look awesome? i thought so.

oh, and did i mention? i'm participating in NaNoWriMo again this year.

you might remember from last year how i took on the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days (about 1,667 words/ day). this year is going to be bigger and better! i'm getting a lot of students involved at school, and they're super excited about it... so great to see young minds trying something 'new' and 'hard.'

oh, besides the leafy garland, i've been doing some prep for a scrapbook retreat i'm going on in Nov. i went last spring with my co-teacher Jen, and we had a BLAST, and i got sooo much work done, and i'm totally looking forward to it this year. we're leaving school to go straight up to the Hilton in Seattle a few weeks before Thanksgiving to get productive (or not! :D hehe!) last year, i totally loved getting to know some new girlies and getting a new nickname 'Tonic.' ha! i think that all crafters have a magical bond, don't you?

anyway, that's it for today, sorry again, and please feel free to harass me next time i'm gone so long... i DO succumb to peer pressure in that regard! :D

DeNami Blog Hop Cuddly Critters

2010-09-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

welcome to the DeNami Design blog hop! every stop you make on the way is featuring some of the cute cuddly creatures that everyone seems to love, including me! so let's see what's going on...

if you're following along, you should have come from Anne Harada's blog, and now you're here! if you didn't start at the beginning, you can go back and start at the DeNami blog here!

i hope you're having as much fun as i am as we look at all the lovely creations that DeNami lovers have made :D so here we go, on to my cuddly creature project!

i was thinking of using a 'spring' chickie, but couldn't come up with a solid idea, so i switched gears and pulled out the cutest little snow chickie... he seriously makes me smile :D

i tried to make things a little vintage-y and i pulled out some Cosmo Cricket papers. i also tied a few ribbons together--satin and seam binding/ aka crinkle ribbon.

you can see i made a matching envelope (decorated both the front and back with some simple borders and ribbons) and i think it adds a ton to the project...

this card is completely in non-traditional 'Christmas' colors, but i absolutely love it! a few flowers here, some glitter there, oh! and don't forget the bling! :D

alright! thanks for stopping by today, i hope you have fun... be sure to hop on over to Teresa E's blog, and see what loveliness she's created!

i love you x2!

2010-09-02T02:30:00.000-07:00

okay, you remember yesterday? super quick post and multiple cards (in different colors)? yeah?

well... same thing here :D

yeah, i was on a roll when i perfected this design... the tags + ribbon + button = too cute to only make one card! :D

so...

here we have the same basic idea, except that you can't really see the stamping along the bottom strip of the orange card stock... there are little hears like the yellow one on the tag, the filled heart is from SU! and the outline is from PTI's Tiny Treats set. (same with the sentiment and the circle frame.)

oh, and if you didn't catch it yesterday, i'm kinda addicted to pleated paper as a new border strip. i think it's pretty sweet :D

thanks for stopping by, and also for your lovely comments... they sure cheer me up when i get back from a long day at school (or the pool!)

hope you have a great day!

beautiful blushing dahlias

2010-09-01T02:15:00.000-07:00

really quick post today! hope your week isn't hectic like mine... i've been at school SOOO much this week and last getting all prepped for school--things are coming together in my classroom, but i still have lots to do.

here are some cards featuring PTI's Delightful Dahlia set... i used some of the flowers and leaves as background on the bottom of the card, and then stamped them on the tags that i tied off with ribbon and buttons!

i also used MM Girlfriend paper (the pink polka dots) and pleated the paper to create a fun border strip along the bottom...

i think that if you follow my blog at all, you know that i like to make multiples of the same design/ card so that i have something handy when the need for a gift or card arises... these were made for those 'just in case' times :D

thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments... it's so good to hear from you! i'll do my best to post again this week, but no guarantees as i'll probably be trapped at school--hehe :D

August PTI Blog Hop ::Brown Bags!::

2010-08-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

hi there! thanks for stopping by and participating in PTI's blog hop :D should be tons of fun to see all the inspiration... i know i'm excited!

first up, though, before my brown bag is something that could go INTO my bag if i hadn't gobbled it up last night...

doesn't all that yummy frosting make you want to drool? hehe... i know i was slobbering a bit after i made them last night. but not for long. that cupcake settled quite nicely into my tummy.

okay, onto the challenge...

we were asked to dress up a typical 'brown bag' like you used to put your lunches in.

wanna hear something funny?

i HONESTLY did not even know that this was the blog hop challenge until this morning. yesterday, i was making these exact bags for 'fun' with my friend Helene...

yeah. talk about weird! so i figured i'd share them tonight (i was going to share them sometime!) and here we are:

i chopped off the tops of both these bags with a decorative border punch or scissors.

i added a flower, some die cuts (the butterfly from PTI was thanks to Paulina from when we crafted a week ago... well, really, all those die cuts were hers :D) and a brad... then there's the PTI Signature Greetings stamps too!

i love the doily and polka dots on this one... makes me smile!

thanks for stopping by, i love reading your comments! :D

hope your day is fabulous and all that...

2010-08-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

i really do hope your day was fabulous... because otherwise, that just wouldn't be fun, now would it?

hehe... well, i'm ba-aack! i've been in Idaho for a week (got back Saturday after a long 12 hour drive) doing my last Vacation Bible Adventure of the summer with my church. it was good, it was HOTTT, it was tough, and i learned a lot.

i'll miss the busyness and the hardness of the VBA when school starts in two weeks, but right now i'm seriously just enjoying some down time. i made some cupcakes tonight, along with one layer of a cake that i'm baking for my brother's upcoming 24th birthday. i also made jell-o last night... first time in forEVER. it's been yummy.

oh, and i totally had some delicious burrito today with some shredded pork from the slow cooker that was just begging to be let out of the freezer for a taste :D

so yeah. my bits and pieces of summer have definitely been yummy.

now, on to the cards for today. they feature Dawn's PTI Signature Greetings and an Impress flower. there's also PTI's Polka Dot Basics II on the bottom of each of these stamped in VersaMark.

these cards were super fun and easy to whip up... all i did 'special' was emboss each flower image and add some matching ribbon to coordinate it all together...

hope that these bring a smile to your face... they sure look cute all lined up together :D

okay, i'm off to finish the icing for the cupcakes, and then i'm going to watch "Zombieland" which i normally wouldn't watch (especially on my own), but my sister, brother, and DAD all thought it was funny. so yeah. i'll probably put in a cute flick like "Confessions of a Shopaholic" soon after to soothe my mind while i polish off the remainders of the 12 cupcakes i just baked.

ack, my life. :D

thanks for stopping by! (please say hi... it makes me SOOO happy!!)

Embellish Challenge: quirky, cutesy, clean

2010-08-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

OOF-DA!

it's friday! :D

i am so happy for today for a few reasons: i have homemade bread in my kitchen for toast (breakfast/ lunch/ dinner... doesn't matter. heck, i even eat the stuff after i brush my teeth! :D), i get to see Paulina for the 2nd time in 2 weeks and i get to STAMP with her!!!, PLUS >> i have another challenge card for you!

this one comes from Embellish Magazine, and the inspiration is amazing... check it out:

and the challenge also has a twist... you have to make your project quirky, cutesy, or clean!

so here's what i came up with when i matched the colors to the challenge...

what do you think? i'm pretty sure that i've used this cupcake stamp, ohhhh, a BAJILLION times since i bought it (seriously one of the best investments i've ever made), and doesn't it look so awesome with all that dimension and glitter and those BUTTONS for a cherry!???! hehe. *pats self on back*

i like it, but i'd love to hear what you think... please leave a comment for me to smile about :D

i hope you have a wonderful friday, friends... and that your weekend is AMAZING too!

...hello! (2S4Y + Denami)

2010-08-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

happy thursday. i wanted to share with you some 'everyday' things that have been happening with me...

first off is the delicious looking bagel sandwich in the photo above. i made it. it was dinner on monday. it was AMAZING. (aka: NOM NOM x10!) it's piled high with lots of stuff, which explains its open face. so from the bottom up: mayo, spicy mustard, co-jack cheese, turkey, ham, cucumbers, red peppers, bacon, and avocado slices (sprinkled with salt). DE-lish! *you jealous yet?*

hehe... anyway, up next is a combo challenge card: 2sketches4you Laura's #58...

plus another entry into the Denami Product Challenge (inspired by the technique that Wendy used on the card featured over at the blog today)...

and here's the card:

featuring Webster's Pages, felt flowers, a border punch, DeNami Glitter and 'hello' sentiment, and some Polka Dot Basics II, and some pearls and buttons!

there's still time to enter both challenges, so hop on over there to get some serious inspiration as well as a shot at snagging a top spot!

thanks for stopping by... i'm off to play some water polo tonight and hopefully not get injured in the process (i'm wearing my mouthguard now to prevent any more chipped teeth! :D *toothy grin... hehehe, j/k about the toothy grin part**)

TA!

summer play & birthday blessings!

2010-08-10T01:55:00.000-07:00

well, i know that back to school is coming up fast... eek! don't let me think about it too much. i've already been into my classroom several times this summer, and it's creeping up too quickly for my liking.

one way to prolong the vacation days is to make summery cards! here i have a few that are similar to the one i made last week... lots of layered goodies (brads, buttons, chippies, flowers, etc) that make it a happy fun project :D

this first one with 'play' as the sentiment has some of my new fav. ribbon on it... May Arts :D such fun stuff in the perfect color combo too!!

and then here comes a different color scheme... but the paper still comes from WeRMemoryKeepers (the patterned paper from above and below) and most of the embellishments come from the same companies i used for the 1st card. spy that fabby ribbon again? :D

the 'blessings, you're so sweet' card went postal to my brother Lincoln who just turned 22 last week... he's over in PA, and i miss him a lot sometimes. back last year he was in a video production class and he acted in this music video that CRACKS me UP! every time i watch it. so check it out HERE if you're interested :D

and this last card has basically the same stuff, except i must have had a flower fetish at the time because i LOADED this baby up with tonnnns! of the petaled variety :D

well, it's a quick one... thanks for stopping by, and for all your lovely comments. i love hearing even what your favorite colors were in my cards (i aim to please!) xoxox and take care!

Denami Product Challenge #3

2010-08-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

WOW! >> two posts in one day?? :D hehehe... i'm getting greedy i think!

but hooray and yay, another challenge post! i love these opportunities to stretch myself or jog my creativity... it's a good thing :D

this time i'm participating in the DeNami Design Product Challenge (#3!) that involves using produced by the company... and this time, it's...

GLITTER :D hehe... love this stuff... i only have two of the colors shown above (yellow and pink), but DeNami also offers some awesome gold and red glitter (perfect for holiday cards + projects!) that i have and love love love.

so, for the challenge, you're asked to also use a DeNami image... so i pulled out a fun little sentiment that's perfect for anyone, and based my color scheme off of the butterfly image i was going to use, and also the glitter colors i had available! :D

so here we go! i think that this card is a little bit on the classy side of what i've been making lately... it's not super fussy or layered... just some fancy flourishes stamped with the glue pad and then covered with the 'citrine' glitter, the butterfly image popped up, Kaiser bling, May Arts ribbon, Polka Dot Basics II, and of course, the DeNami sentiment 'miss you.'

well? what do you think? i love reading your comments... you're ever the kindest :D hope you have a great day, and if you haven't checked out my other challenge card for 2s4y, you should hop over HERE and do that :D

thanks for stopping by!!

2S4Y Kazan's #58

2010-08-07T00:30:00.000-07:00

happy saturday to you all! it's going to be a relaxing one for me... maybe visit a friend or two... we'll see :D definitely sleeping in!

i thought it was high time i jumped in a played with a 2sketches4you sketch! it's been a while, and Kazan had a great one posted this week:

usually i make cards for 'whatever' and end up not having enough of any kind that i 'need', but for THIS one, i had someone specific in mind...

my grandma, or 'Nana,' as i call her, hasn't had a handwritten note from me in forever, so i thought it was about time to send her something sweet.

i used a lot of goodies on this one, but when i showed it to Paulina (like a pre-screening of a movie... hehe!) she thought it was great and not too busy! (thanks for that bit of encouragement hon!) btw, we got to have a lovely evening together... saw a movie, grabbed dinner, and totally caught up on so many things (who knows, we may have even talked about you ;) hehe!) such a fun way to spend a friday night!

here's a close up of some of the goodies up top... Sassafras brad, yellow mini-clothespin, a white rosette, some flora and fauna stickers layered on graphic 45 paper and a Sassafras chippie frame, on top of a cream doily shabbied up with some yellow ink, and then of course the pink crinkle ribbon, Colorbok epoxy button w/ PTI button and the pink rhinestone. you can also see a bit of the yellow polka dots from PTI's Polka Dot Basics II poking up from the top and bottom of the distressed patterned paper.

for the sentiment i used PTI's Big and Bold Wishes, the flourish, and some little flower buds from Delightful Dahlia (colored in with some pink markers and a white gel pen... and some glitter from DeNami Design).

oh, and i couldn't resist decorating the back too... so more graphic 45 paper, a bit of a border punch, and brad/ button/ clothespin from the same as above.

so what do you think? i know Nana will love it (don't grandma's have a lovely habit of always loving anything handmade? :D) thanks for leaving your comments... they're always appreciated, and usually they totally make my day :D (and by usually i mean ALWAYS.)

go have some weekend fun! xoxo

sweet smile :D and blog award!

2010-08-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

hey there!

happy friday to everyone... hope you're planning on having some fun this weekend.

i just got my hair cut (it's the same way i normally do it, just... shorter!) and i tried to re-create the salon look that my hairdresser did for me yesterday. does anyone else have the problem where it doesn't look quite like it did when you left? haha... i tried really hard, i really did :D but anyway, i'm planning to have some fun this weekend. i'm going to see "The Other Guys" with my friend Paulina (seems like we haven't met up in FOREVER!) and i'm ready to have some laughs :D

tomorrow is an 'open day' for me which is good because i won't have many more of those left before school starts. let me just tell you... teachers don't want summer to end!! *le sigh*

but there is some more fun planned... at church on Sunday night i'm going to be going to an ice cream feed... who doesn't love ice cream??? :D

and here i am to share with you some sweetness... i love this paper from DCWV Sweet Stack, and it's perfect for these girly shabby chic cards :) yummy enough to eat, right? hehe :D

there's some lovely lace layered on top of a Fiskars apron lace border punch strip... then there are some roses and May Arts ribbon with PTI buttons, Colorbok sentiment circles, MS punched butterflies topped with rhinestones, and then some Colorbok strawberry buttons on top of MM white glitter flowers. and don't forget the doilies! i cut them in half and layered them behind the middle portion--you can see them peeking out from the sides. i also used PTI's Big and Bold set for the pink scroll image stamped up at the top of the card.

essentially, both of these chock full of goodness! such fun to make, and i'm so happy to share this yumminess with you. hope you enjoy! (calorie free... hehe!)

so a while back (actually a month ago) the sweet Amy gave me a blog award! Amy has a super unique and lovely style that inspires me every time i visit... she has truly mastered the art of using her Cricut to add something special to just about every project she makes (you've made me jealous of your savvy Amy!!) go check out her blog and leave her some love...

and now... i would like to pass this blog award on to the following 5 people for their fabulous blogs that always inspire me... (there are seriously so many more blogs out there that i frequent like a stalker :D hehe! but for this i'm just passing it on to five lovelies!)

Paulina of PrettyPinkPosh

Heidi of VanLaar Designs

Amy of Tsuruta Designs

Andrea of Creative Paper Trail

and Karen Baker of The Bald Dragonfly

(and an honorable mention/ shout-out goes to my sister Cecelia of Adventures of Cecelia Bedelia... but she doesn't fully count for this blog award since she doesn't paper craft :D unless you count devouring hundreds of books in a short amount of time--hehe!)

so that's a wrap... you would be doing YOURSELF a favor by dropping by these blogs to check out their latest and greatest... serious eye candy happening at every single one :D

thanks for stopping by and checking everything out. now go out and enjoy your weekend! XOXO

summertime!

2010-08-05T01:15:00.000-07:00

it's summertime indeed... i woke up late this morning to some sunshine through my window :D

and i have been dressing in t-shirts and capris (and occasional tanks) along with the summer ESSENTIAL >> flip flops! :D

so in honor of the weather, the clothes, and the general happy feeling that summer brings, i thought that i'd translate the fun-ness of summer into a card:

lots of goodies on this one... brads, glitter, flowers, scallops, chipboard, buttons, felt, twine, funky paper, flowers, ribbon, flowers :D and all sorts of good stuff.

i thought that i'd share with you some of the things that i've been up to lately...

helping a good friend move into her new house (lots of screwing things in/ unpacking/ eating take out...), going to see a few movies (saw Inception and will be seeing The Other Guys this Friday), playing water polo, and eating as much NOM NOM (aka delicious!!) food as i can, which brings me to this:

isn't it just darling? i have a friend who loves pandas, and we've been nom-noming our way through lots of good food lately, so this made me smile today... hope it does the same for you! :D you can find it at delia's HERE. and if you want to know what 'nom nom' is all about, just watch THIS super cute video!

thanks for stopping by! i'll be sharing some more summer fun cards this week! :D

dusting off the camera

2010-08-04T01:02:00.000-07:00

so it's been a few days since my last post, and it's not for lack of projects to share... *le sigh*

i just haven't been photographing things! so i rectified the situation and got some photos taken and edited to share with you. these cards feature an Impress flower stamp (that i received as a bday present from the lovely Paulina a few bdays ago) or an Impress damask stamp, PTI Signature Greetings stamp set, as well as PTI's Polka Dot Basics II, and some ribbon.

simple simple.

you may notice these cards from the teaser i gave you last week...

i made a whole bunch of these in different colors and with different sentiments. i cut the circles with my Cricut, and attached them directly to the card base after i embossed the flower/ damask stamp. makes a great statement without too much work!

thanks for stopping by... i'll be getting some more cards edited to share with you soon!

random teasing...

2010-07-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

another quick post today... i have a friend who's moving to a new house soon, and i had the pleasure of taking a mini-vacation with her whole family. my favorite toddler just happens to be her oldest boy of 22 months... so adorable. i taught him how to say 'nom nom nom' whenever he eats something :D

and here's a teaser for you >> these are some of the cards i just finished before i left for the church outreach i'm on. i'm working on some more, and i'll be sure to post some good pictures later.

thanks for checking back again :D

oh, and i just thought i'd share something fun today... it's an email i got from my sister Cecelia, who is hilarious. she tends to be a people watcher, which has led to some great observations/ letters that she's written in her head. i've gotten quite a few of these letter/ emails from her, but i'll just share one:

Dear Man with Mark Twain Hair and Jesus Sandals,

I have to say, you blew my socks off. Normally when I walk into my favorite coffee shop I get a fashion lesson from all the hipsters, but today was special. Today, you were standing in front of me in line. You with your Mark Twain hairstyle, open white collared shirt, bell-bottom khakis and black Jesus sandals. Yes, it might be sacrilege to call them that, but it's all I can think about when I see people with a few flimsy straps of leather covering their feet. And especially if they have tan feet. Like you. I just don't even know where to start. I don't know if I should admire your style or continue shaking my head. No, scratch that, I do know: I will keep shaking my head.

Only other thing to say? I hope you become a regular. I need this much weirdness in my life. And also? I can't wait to see what kind of sunglasses you wear. I'm hoping for cat's eye.

With lots of love and confusion,

- Me

okay, so that's it from me! ta ta! :D

congratulations tags

2010-07-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

okay, uber quick post today because i have to get going... i'm on outreach with my church right now in Oregon :D

this card features one of the many tags i made that were featured in THIS post, and i just added an embossed damask pattern along the side and a Delightful Dahlia PTI sentiment in the corner. i made this super quick for a friend who just had a bridal shower. i also made a set of 18 cards for thank you's for gifts... perfect for a bride-to-be with lots of people to thank.

(the set of cards has a bunch of Heidi Grace hearts and some PTI Big and Bold sentiments... the inks are Versamark, White, and a purple from MS)

thanks for stopping by, i love reading your comments! who knows if i'll be able to drop by until next week, but hopefully. can't wait until i get to catch up and look at all YOUR lovely posts!

i love minions

2010-07-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

hi all! have you recovered from your weekend yet? how was yours? mine was great, it started off with a movie on friday night. i went to see...

and it was HILARIOUS. rated PG (for those of you wondering if its okay to take the kids... i totally recommend it) and so funny/ sweet/ cute/ laugh out loud/ great! it was awesome. i went with a group of friends and you could hear us chuckling & chortling throughout the whole thing. i think that the 'minions' are my new favorite animated character :D they were just so yellow and cute, and CUTE! hehe.

i also went to a bridal shower for a long-time family friend, and also got to see my aunt from NY before she went kayaking with my mom (they're doing a pretty adventurous trip in the Pacific Ocean along Vancouver Island... and they're both 62 years old!), and also had some time to watch some DVDs here at home. this weekend i saw 'Man on Fire' with Denzel Washington, and then 'V for Vendetta' with Hugo Weaving & Natalie Portman. last night i watched 'Take the Lead' with Antonio Banderas, and 'Ever After' with Drew Barrymore. basically it was a great weekend. oh! and i went to the Container Store with a good friend and just had a good time looking around.

okay, on to the cards... these are cards i haven't shown you yet from the Impress Stamp Night... yes, i know, there were a lot of them (32!) and you may be sick of them (please say you aren't :D) but these are the last from that batch.

this first one was really simple. not sure i like how simple it is, but oh well. the banner stamp is actually just one really long banner that i stamped in 4 different colors of blue ink. makes for an interesting effect, eh?

the sentiment was supposed to be a little less crooked, but i tried out a new technique that i may have to use more frequently--scoring lines along the bottom. i thought it was a nice little touch to add (along with those pretty little gems).

and here i have some masculine?/ simple? happy birthday cards. i can't decide whether these would be appropriate for guys (i know they're green, but they're flowers) or not.

what do you think? again, it's the same stamp just in different colors. i love the 'happy birthday to you' stamp, and this is also the first time i'd tried the black frame around the edge.

well, that's it for now... i hope you enjoyed these! can't wait to see what this week brings from all of you! :D thanks for the comments and stopping by.

take care! xoxox

vintage one layer 'thank you'

2010-07-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

so just a quick post today.

i'm so glad it's Friday, but i'm also really tired... it's been a long week for me telling stories at VBA and acting in the skits as well. it really wears me out, so it's a good thing i've been able to take naps every day.

here i wanted to show you some vintage one layer cards i made a while back. these are from the Impress Stamp Night.

i think that what makes these pretty (for me, at least) is the layering of the pinks, and then the cool script in the 'thank you' sentiment.

well, like i said, it's going to be a short one... i'm going to see Despicable Me tonight with some friends, so it's a great start to my weekend... hoping you have a great one too!

thanks for you comments and for stopping by :D

cupcakes galore :D

2010-07-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

happy thursday!

hope your week has been going well... i know mine has been super busy, but fun. the Vacation Bible Adventure at my church is in full swing, and because of that i've been spending a lot of time at church, not crafting, bringing kids to the program, and taking naps where i can :D those long days/ mornings can wear you down!

well, since i haven't been crafting so far THIS week, i thought i'd show you some cards that i made before school got out (part of an order from a co-worker). these were requested because of the cute factor :D

i used a DoodleFactory image (cupcake) that i paper pieced and colored and glittered, and some PolkaDot Basics II for the paper at the bottom. i paired it all up with AC brown polka dotted ribbon, some brown velvet trip, and 'sweetie' from a Studio G set i believe. the inside of the card says 'happy birthday'.

and down here, we have more of the same design i made for a giveaway HERE. they were so cute, my co-worker wanted her own pair :D

well, that's it for today. i think i'm going to make some time in the studio today to post some cards based off of sketches... i want to try my hand at the 2sketches4you sketch this week! :D

thanks for stopping by, and for continually encouraging me with your comments--they always make me smile!! XOXO

happy bday + CPS #175

2010-07-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

whew, quick post today.

first off, i would like to wish a fellow blogger, and great personal crafting friend, Paulina, a happy birthday! she's an awesome girly, and i love her constant inspiration and sense of style. heck i even love her spontaneity :D

you should hop over to her blog and leave her some love today as she turns ...well, i'll let her tell you ;) hehe

okay, now to the card. here's the sketch, with the gallery to be found HERE:

and my old fashioned, girly card...

i had a really fun time with this card. more Hambly frame overlay for this, PTI buttons, wrinkle ribbon, a rosebud, Graphic 45 patterned paper and die cut paper shape, DCWV brown flocked silhouette paper, and then brown AC ribbon ruffled around the back of the Graphic 45 lady in pink :D

thanks for stopping by--i've been loving reading all your comments, they cheer me up so much :D

hello love.

2010-07-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

woohoo! it's Monday!

hope that you really have a chance to enjoy your week, and that you can get into the groove quickly. this morning i spent some time at my church doing Vacation Bible Adventures. i get to be on the skit team and tell the stories, which i LOVE doing... it's really fun for me to volunteer doing something that i love and am good at.

well, today the cards i'm bringing you are *almost* one layer cards. which, if you've been following me, is NOT very normal for me. these feature only a few stamps, but i really love how they turned out :D

first off, the lined background stamp was inked up in two different shades of blue, and come from Impress Rubber Stamps. the floral stamp and the sentiments do as well. did you notice along the crease of the card the little bows i made? i bought some crochet thread from Walmart and used it to add a little extra touch to these soft cards :D

okay, these next 4 cards measure about 3"x3" and are SUPER easy to make. they use kraft paper as the base, Sassafras felt stickers, and a Heidi Grace sentiment.

don't they just make you smile? i just love them :D

okay, i'm off to the chiropractor and to take a nap, and to maybe hit up my craft studio later on. oh, and i might even make a trip to the library for some new summer reading and/ or a DVD or two :D

thanks for stopping by and leaving your sweet comments... i LOVE reading them!!

LOVE to a bloggie friend!

2010-07-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

hey there... hope you are having a fabulous Sunday!

i'm doing quite well myself (thanks for asking ;) hehe), and especially so to share this card with you. you see, i'm finally doing something i should have done ages ago, and am sending a card to a bloggie friend! *gives self pat on the back*

this one i made at the Impress Stamp Night (you're probably tired of hearing about it... but oh well!) with LOTS of stamps, and just a few extras...

i used a lined background stamp, the medallion stamp i featured on these cards in THIS POST, and then a banner stamp that is sooo cute, along with those subtle open circles on the scalloped circle punch out, and then the "LOVE" sentiment. ALL from Impress. then... lovely buttons, cute rosebuds, like the ones i used HERE, and then some Sassy paper and a bit of lace.

it's funky, but i like it. here's hoping that the girly will too :D

well, that's it, this was a quick one. hope you have a great end to your weekend! i am going to be busy this next week, but i'm hoping to post a few more projects i've made ...so don't forget to stop by and leave your comments every once in a while :D

XOXO!

denami color challenge #3

2010-07-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

hey there! back with another post, this time for the DeNami Design Color Challenge #3 ...such fun colors, right? thanks Laurie! if you want to see what the DT did with the colors, you should go check out the link above :D

and here's my card. i wanted to really focus on the SUPER cute ice cream cone stamp here, and YES, i did choose that stamp because a) i love ice cream, and b) it's sooo hot here in WA, and c) well, i just like it!

so, i kept this card kinda clean and simple, a little different than the card i posted the other day HERE, eh? i punched out each embossed cone (w/ VersaMark and clear embossing powder) on the 4 colored card stocks, added a scalloped circle, and then stamped the 'hello', drew the outline, and fished in my stash for some buttons that would perfectly match these colors. yay, doesn't it look awesome? i hope you think so too...

that's all for now, i hope you have an amazing day. i think i'll be spending time w/ friends and family, you know, just chilling out before the big crazy week starts tomorrow! thanks for your sweet comments!

XOXO

p.s. don't forget to check out my scrapbook album post HERE... i'd love to know what you think!

if i make one, do i have to make more?

2010-07-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

happy friday everyone!

i'm back to share a post with you that i've been teasing about all week. it's something that i actually made a while ago, but no one in the virtual world has seen... YET! but first, i have a card or two, or five for you :D

first up is a quick little set i made at the Impress Stamp Night i mentioned in THIS POST. it was so much fun trying out new stamps, new ink colors, and just plain getting a lot of stamping done. before i went, i looked at some blogs and catalogs for inspiration... i just wanted to get some ideas flowing. one thing i decided was i wanted to make some single layer cards.

each one uses the same stamp in a different ink color along with a different sentiment. they're so pretty all lined up together, aren't they?

and here i have a card like the one i made HERE with a few variations. i had a coworker request a few cards she wanted to buy, and she really loved this one. i used Basic Grey's 6x6 Lemonade papers for the background, and then the 'baby' is a DeNami Design stamp. i also did the ribbon in a double bow kind of how Paulina does hers sometimes. love this fun baby card... what a cute way to welcome a new little one, dontcha' think?

okay, one last thing before we move on to the 'reveal' ...hehe :D

for those of you that missed yesterday's post, i would love for you to check out my card HERE that i made for the SteamBoyz event being hosted by Velvet over HERE. if you're into steampunk at all, or have a hankering for YA books based in a Victorian era with the addition of special gadgets and lots of action, OR if you have any sons/ boys/ a husband in your life that like to read, i highly suggest checking it out.

plust, there's prizes! and jiminy snaps... that's an awesome button :D

so some of you saw the sneak peak i posted the other day. at the end of April (wow, that sounds like a long time ago) i went with a friend to a scrapbook retreat in Seattle. it was amazing. i actually finished a full scrapbook album, and i want to share it with you.

i went to Brazil in the summer of 2008 with my sister Cecelia, who was studying Portuguese at the time. we were able to go to 4 different cities for about 2-3 days each, starting out in Rio de Janeiro. we lost a little bit of time because of traveling (by bus, which was mostly miserable and crazy!) but i LOVED that trip w/ my sister :D

front cover... this album was a Making Memories kit, but i customized it majorly along the way...

you can see the statue of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) in the background of this photo. it stands over the top of Rio and you can literally see the whole city from there. it's awesome. (btw, most of these pictures i took, unless i'm the only one in them. i love doing the 'stretch your arm out and snap one' while trying to document life!)
here's a better shot of the statue, and me mimicking it, as well as a shot of the city... i took a panoramic series, but it wouldn't have fit in this 8x8 album, so you only get one.
this isn't a flattering picture, but it's scrapbooking, and it's real life. we were riding the tram up to the top of the hill to see Cristo Redentor... it was fun. the quote on this page says 'When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you feel comfortable, it is designed to make its own people comfortable.' that was so true, but the great thing about traveling with a trilingual sister, is that you get a lot more respect from those that live there because you speak their language.
oooh! the title on this page is 'girls from Ipanema'... have you heard of that song? 'the girl from Ipanema'? it's an oldie, but cool. this was me trying out the shredded pork we got at the cafe there. i accidentally put a WHOLE BUNCH of hot oil/ peppers on it, and essentially ruined the meal, minus the french fries we got.

how was i supposed to know you didn't take the little chile peppers out of the little dish where they were marinating and making the oil SUPER hot??? :D
we of course went to the beach next to the cafe, and our background is the city... it's super packed and crowded, but in a nice international way. those are either hotels or apartment buildings behind us. only the super UBER duper rich have actual houses there in the city.
these photos show the beach at Ipanema, and would you look at that sand? it was so freaking amazing... the water wasn't too warm, because it was actually their 'winter.' the journaling mentions how we were glad to not see any 'Brazilian bikinis' while we were there ...woulda meant seeing too much skin and things we didn't want to :D i played in the sand a little, which was really really soft. nothing like the sand in WA. nothing.
we hit up a few museums while we were there, and omgosh. when my sister and i are together, we just have a GOOD time. you can tell from the photo here that we were goofing off a little. just a little side story about that, one of the attendants 'caught' us making silly faces and pointing to things like the paintings and the chandeliers, and he kindly offered to take a picture of the both of us being goofy. we were slightly embarrassed, but figured, 'why the heck not?' i think we made him smile that day. :D
the little vellum envelope holds the journaling about the museum on a little pull out paper from Graphic 45.
okay, so from Rio, Cecelia and i went to Sao Paolo. we liked it here, but it's a HUGE city (like top 5 in the whole world). we went on a walking tour of the place, and saw some neat gov't buildings and a sweet cathedral.
the stained glass was pretty much all over the place. it was HUGE and full of depictions of saints, etc.
here you can read the journaling for the page (hopefully you can read my handwriting!):
THEN, from Sao Paolo, we went to Paraty (pronounced par-a-tchi) which has a part of the town historically preserved by the gov't. we had a relaxing time there in a really nice hostel where we met some awesome people. that's one of the things i love about traveling... you can meet so many people along the way.

our first night there, we ate an early dinner at a restaurant that was listed in Cecelia's guide book as one of the top 100 places to eat in the world. i can't remember the restaurant's name now, but here's Cece looking at her dessert (because of course we went all out), which was kind of like bananas foster but with starfruit too :D
i liked to snap candid photos along the trip, and i caught Cece looking at her guidebook again with the historical buildings in the background. the title of this page is, 'where are we?'
omygoodness. if you've never had paella (REAL paella, pronounced pie-a-uh) then you're MISSING OUT. we went to another nice restaurant called the Kon Tiki which was located on an island. JUST for the restaurant. there was a theme running through our trip. we liked to eat dinner at a normal time, but that was 'early' according to Brazilian standards.

so at the first restaurant in Paraty and the Kon Tiki, we were the ONLY people there. which was nice, but slightly awkward. that meant we had the wait staff hovering around. you can also see the drink that i got > it's a caipirinha, and it's AMAZING. it's actually the national cocktail of Brazil. you should read the article about it. :D
the Kon Tiki had an amazing layout, and the deck was stunning. the whole island would make a perfect place to have a wedding :D
one of the waiters took our picture, and it was a really good time. i almost felt bad for how much energy was put into the whole thing for just 2 people. they even had a guy to ferry guests back and forth to the pier.
so, also while in Paraty, Cecelia and i went on a schooner cruise. it was $20 a person for 5 hours on a yacht. it was awesome... we got to see about 4 different beach/ cove locations, all of them lovely and local.
we also brought along some new friends from the hostel we stayed at. Rachel and John (sister/ brother) were some Australians that we met up with and we instantly connected. maybe it was because we were playing cards and being loud and fun :D

you can see the schooner in the background. the sand at THIS beach was like pumpkin pie filling... it was soooo soft. it was even kind of orangey. weird, huh?
our next stop was Ouro Preto, which in Portuguese means 'Black Gold.' this town is known for the mining that happened around it... from Wikipedia, Ouro Preto "is a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, a former colonial mining town located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains and designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its outstanding Baroque architecture."

so ALL the buildings in the town are historically protected. you can't change them. or the streets. which means, there were cobblestones all over the place on roads that were at angles close to 45 degrees. well, maybe not that bad, but close.

in this picture you can see me being goofy (or is this 'normal' for me? haha!) with some statues i found... Laurel and Hardy!! who would have thought!?

this town was chock full of architectural and colorful goodness... it was so beautiful just walking around and snapping pictures of some of the cool houses. if i hadn't been careful, i would have used up a whole memory stick for just the buildings. they don't make them like that anymore...

oh, and here we have a happy camper. see that food? i LOVE taking pictures of the food, because it helps you remember the trip a lot better. that, and i'm obsessed with food. in a good way, of course. she had chicken with capers, i think? it was DELICIOUS at any rate.
i made a pocket for the pull out journaling here... three different sections + a picture. read on!
continued...
and continued...
and Simon! finally >>
(hope you could read all that, cause i really don't want to type it out :D hehe, i'm lazy.)

okay, so Ouro Preto was home to about 50 churches. they were different, beautiful, amazing, and all located in various parts of town. after seeing about 4 or 5 of them, though, they started to blur together. but i just LOVE that picture with the light glinting off the windows. i have that one framed in my apartment.
okay, so if you read the journaling a few photos up, you know that Cece and i picked up some friends to tour with along the way. so we went to a mining town nearby and took a little jaunt down a mine shaft with our new friends, Robert and Simon. (Robert on the left, was German, who spoke great English, and Simon spoke English too, but his cadence was somewhat difficult to follow at times...)
funny story for you. the four of us above ended up sharing one room in the hostel we were at, instead of separating the girls/ guys (for a few reasons... one of which > the place was full, and we didn't want to move out). so, i had the bottom bunk below Simon, and we joked that if he snored in the night, i would poke him through the mattress. well, we didn't know that he ACTUALLY *did* snore. LOUDLY. *giggle* it was bad. i don't think my sister got a whole lot of sleep when we shared the room, but oh well, at least we got to tease Simon about it later :D

here's another beautiful church... they were simply gorgeous.

and even though Cecelia doesn't look happy here, we actually were. we went to coffee in Brazil frequently, even though i don't drink. they generally had some amazing fruit drinks to offer, or i would grab their version of hot chocolate, which i did here while i was writing in my travel journal. it was such a good idea to keep one! i highly recommend it if you ever leave the country! :D
okay, so not all the pictures are of ME being silly... here, Cecelia is 'kissing' this fountain statue that is supposed to spray water in the summertime. she couldn't resist, i suppose ;)
and the hostel we stayed in Ouro Preto had the most amazing view. this is it... from the back patio. i mean, SERIOUSLY!??? how awesome. Brazil was breathtaking... all of it.
here's part of the album where you can stuff a few pictures and extra journaling/ memorabilia from the trip.
and what's inside the pocket...
and then the very last page before the back cover (this is actually just the backside of the pocket page). the picture was taken in Paraty, but it's so fun to have as a 'The End' type of thing, don't you agree?
well, i know that was a lot to share, but thanks so much for sticking with me. i really should photograph my scrapbook pages more, and in a more timely manner, but sometimes it can get overwhelming.

i just really hope that because i made ONE of these (for me) i don't have to make another one ;) haha, no... i know i'll be scrapping trips from now until... forever, probably :D

hope you enjoyed. i'm wishing you a fabulous weekend! come back soon, and make sure you leave a comment. i'd love to know which story you enjoyed the most, or which page you liked :) XOXO

OH! how i love steampunk!! (2S4Y style)

2010-07-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

hey everyone! happy thursday :D (note: i seem to be a little 'talky' today, so if you want to skip that, go to the end.)

i had the pleasure of using Kazan's sketch #56 for this card, and oh boy! was it ever PERFECT for EVERYTHING... the details just shine through with this awesome layout :D

and believe it or not, although i've been behind on the challenge side of things... haven't been creating much for sketches/ color combos/ etc, i actually made this card for the 365 Cards Day #129 - Aged Look. it's simply a match made in heaven :D

on to my card. i actually made this to giveaway in a contest... i was given some idea about what the contest was, but i was given artistic freedom in the execution. i think i've mentioned before that i LOVE it when that happens... i love that freedom to create what i think will fit :D

so, the contest is called SteamBoyz, and it's hosted by Velvet over at vvb32 reads--she's got a great book blog going on over there, and i know she's fabulous herself! now, you may be wondering how i got connected with a book blogger to create a card for a contest. the answer is simple. i'm a nerd. YES. a NERD.

you see, i have a sister, Cecelia, who is awesome, funny, but equally (if not more! [agreed Cece?]) nerdy as me. she loves to read. which isn't to say i DON'T, because i'm actually an English teacher, but she LOVES to read. like--she went to the American Library Association Conference a few weeks ago, even though she's not a librarian. well, you say, that's not all bad... and NO! it's not. but that's how nerdy WE are. :D

so--last year she began a blog shortly after i did, and started featuring recipes, anecdotes from her life, and of course, she shared her love of books, or shall i say OBSESSION with them? she introduced me to some books, and i read them, and they were awesome! really, they were, and i can recommend some to you based on your movie preferences... really. it's what i do for my students at school. anyway, she fell pretty hard into the book blogger stratosphere, and i have to say, if i'm being honest, that i'm a little jealous at her instant popularity. i mean, there has to be a little rivalry for us to be normal siblings, eh?

at any rate, she's wildly famous and funny, while i just make cards and occasionally tag along to book events like author signings. the one author signing i went to was for a book called Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld. and it was a steampunk book. and i got to see what all the fuss was about.

i had a TON of fun. AND, i got a signed copy of the book to go in the bookshelves at school too! win WIN!

and after reading some books from the steampunk genre (Soulless by Gail Carriger as well, and probably more), i knew what my sister kept raving about. yes, she may have looked foolish to her roommates or our mother, but i at least, finally, understood.

and here i am, to present you with a card made specifically with steampunk in mind, and my sister, and Velvet, who asked me to do it :D thanks a ton girlies!

i used a lot of vintage stuff... tried to make it fit with the genre. so, there's some Graphic 45 papers on there (from the Le'romantique line) and a page torn out of an old book covering a chipboard piece. i then stamped the chipboard with a wrought iron fence stamp that i bought at a stamp convention who knows where :D and let's not forget how i shabbied everything up with either distressing with scissors, inking with Tim Holtz antique linen pad, or even using some black ink from a SU! cube. and can you see those Kaiser black pearls in the top left corner? so many details.

i also grabbed a bookplate and some brads from my stash and roughed them up with my file, and then inked them with some black Staz-on ink to give it a more 'aged' look. the crown brad comes from Queen & Co, and the buttons are vintage from my stash as well. i even layered a Hambly frame transparency to the hat/ cane panel to give some more depth.

i've seen some crafters use the 'pull back' approach with double sided paper, but i've never really given it much thought until this creation... i think it's a fabulous way to showcase both sides of the paper, and to show a little of the fanciness underneath, don't you?

now, check out the inside. because i used a clear card stock to create the card base, you can add some awesome details all over and have them show through to the front or back. in my case, i covered the OTHER side of the chipboard piece with a steampunk clock image that i got HERE before i adhered it to the front of the card. that way, when you open it up, you get more for your money :D

also, you can see from above and below, that i used some October Afternoon papers from the Thrift Store line... i know just about everyone and their mother is in love with this stuff, and i'm no exception. i mean, seriously--with so much in the steampunk genre originating from London, what other choice could i have than to use it on the inside of my card? it's PERFECT!

and also, after you're done checking out my card... if you've missed the tons of tags i've been creating, then you'd better take a look HERE, and HERE, and at yesterday's HERE. plus, i finished the rest of the tags and have a few pictures to show you...

these yellow ones were INTENSE. PTI's polka dot basics II again, some October Afternoon stamping, a flourish is there as well, along with Sassafras papers, Recollections rosebuds on top of Prima flowers inked to the perfect color. there's some 'orange peel' stickles there, a vintage orange button on all of them, and some citrine glitter from DeNami Designs. oh, and green ribbon from M's.

now these red-orange tags feature some Cosmo Cricket Early Bird papers, more Recollections rosebuds, clothespins, random buttons from my stash, 'so happy!' ribbon from SEI, and then some chipboard from DCWV that i glittered and shabbied up. oh, and some MM blooms as well.

now, for the ULTRA FUNKY orange tags. these are crazy. but, they're good crazy! more Sassy goodies, stickles, buttons, KI memories ribbon, and even those green foil stars you usually put on chore charts... hehe!

and here's one from each of the colors all grouped together. i realized that i used my Cricut to cut out 11 different colors, and they're all completely different. i LOVE that. what do you think? don't they look awesome together? :D

so all in all, i've been quite busy this week, and plan to be even more so next week. i'll be the storyteller for my church's VBA (Vacation Bible Adventure... just like VBS), and i'm head of the skit crew (and in it as well). so mornings/ afternoons will switch schedules for me a bit.

thanks so much for visiting... i'd LOVE to hear what you like most in today's post > the card? the tags? the sister envy? ha!

have a great day, and stop by later to see what i've been doing on the scrapbooking end of things! :D XOXO

ROY G. and mustard?

2010-07-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

happy wednesday! it's soo nice outside today--mid-80's in Washington, and the Mt. is out, and i had breakfast at a fav. place... omygosh, it's gonna be a good day.

PLUS, i get to have a crafty friend over (the one that was supposed to come Monday and then before that was supposed to come last week... but 3rd time's the charm, right? ;) hehe)

okay, so you may be wondering about the blog title... remember how you were taught in kindergarten what all the colors were? ROY G. BIV, like a guy's name? stood for red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet? yeah, well, my tags today don't go all the way through the rainbow, but they sure are pretty :D

so the first set is a maroon bunch... i like them, but really, i was stretching myself in an effort to create something with this color... but i think the end result is pretty cool. i used some SU! flower stickers, buttons, and even a few MM die cut shapes (the guitars and POW! and "sweet" sentiments).

next up is the orange... geez, a whole smattering of stuff slobbered on here :D mostly leftovers. SEI ribbon and paper, Impress stamp, Graphic 45 die cuts, buttons, a MM travel dog tag, a poofy flower, and even a PTI sentiment thrown in there.

it almost reminds me of "I Spy" books... like: can you find the clothespin? hehe :D

oooh! YELLOW!

these tags are probably in my top favs. for the bunch. i used PTI stamps (tiny treats that i bought from Paulina, polka dot basics II), AC gingham orange ribbon, some ric-rac, and then DCWV grade school stack paper :D DUDE >> these are SOO cute :D

with sentiments and images to match, they'd be perfect for gift tags for little kids, boys, or just about anyone. i love the plane image with "love is in the air..." hehe!

okay, i know you may be sick of the green tags by now, but i cut out 3 different kinds of green tags, and i really liked playing with all the shade variations. again, it's a smorgasbord out there :D

some of the tags got a little bit more attention than others, and that's okay--sometimes less fuss is good.

and btw, i'm not even going to try to list off the supplies i used. EEK!

okay, lastly, i have MUSTARD tags for you. oh, these tags made me shudder a little, until i found some awesome paper from K&CO that i had stashed away (it's the floral in the fancy square punch shape), and then paired it with BG's Indian Summer 6x6 pad and some Bazzill card stock. super fun!

plus, those roses are perfect, and the AC ribbon is AWESOME, and the polka dots! like i said, i'm in LOVE.

so different and happy, and i never thought i'd say this, but i like the mustard tags :D

okay, so i don't want to prolong this too long... here are some cards i made for a special order from a teacher at school. they're ones she wanted 'copied' from previous cards she'd seen on the blog...

can never go wrong with owls, right? :D

ooh! then look at more colorful goodness! these are going to be used as a thank you set, i think, and i monogrammed them for her. don't they look awesome like this?

i used the fancy punch again, some pearl stickles things (i know they're not stickles, but can't remember...) different papers from all over to match the card stock colors, and then a 'C' from a Technique Tuesday set that i own.

well, what do you think? it's been fun sharing these tags with you, and i do have a few more to show, but i think i'll save that for later. i want to show you my scrapbook page (good guesses, btw, although i think it wasn't that hard to guess) tomorrow.

so, stay tuned. love to hear your comments! XOXO

floral woodgrain + tags galore

2010-07-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

so yesterday i left you hanging with a sneak peek at some tags. well, i have to say, i'm going to leave you hanging again... although not as much (hehe--am i evil or what?)

no really, i just found that after loading and editing the tag photos, there were just too many to put in all one post. so you'll get to see them all spread out over the next couple of days. but today, never fear--you get to see tags AND some cards :D

yes, i'm good to you ;) i think i'm in a weird mood today. weird, but good. anyway, lets get back to the tags:

these first two are just a smattering of things i found in my scrap drawer and in the little containers i'd gathered for other projects. i always have little things left over that still go together in a great color scheme, but just weren't right for the project i was working on, you kwim?

i just love the oddness of these tags--i have some Amy Butler glitter paper in there, along with ric-rac, a cute flower, and some textured white specialty paper. (not to mention all the other goodies loaded on!)

ooh! check out this fun guy! the one above has a cool felt star that i just love. the one below has some green and blue ribbon thrown in there to mix things up, also featuring some felt--this time in the form of a blue crown. i grabbed that felt last year at the CK Bellevue Scrap Convention (4 laser cut sheets for $4... i couldn't resist). i've been using bits and pieces here and there in TONS of my projects. good deals, good deals.

more butterflies appearing all over the place here. these tags are all inked up on the edges with my tim holtz antique linen pad.

below you can see more in the series here... i made 8 in each color, and i think i used 8 different card stock colors :D

that huge button is from DeNami Design, and it looks perfect on this tag, don't you think? it's an awesome focal point.

the little felty butterfly here has a letter attached--a J from a KI Memories alpha chipboard pack. thought it looked good here, and i dotted the 'j' with a rhinestone from my stash :D

the fabulous striped flower is from a sweet pack of plastic-like embellies from Recollections--i grabbed them at Michael's. :D

and just to make sure you keep coming back... i have a sneak peek of what i'll be showing you tomorrow in regards to tags... these were some of my favorite of the bunch.

okay, phew! we're done with tags today, and we're on to the cards...

i made these at the Impress Stamp Night i mentioned in THIS blog post. those nights are pure awesomeness :D

i grabbed some limited supplies for these cards, but they came together so well... a woodgrain stamp (from Impress) along with that lovely vintage rose stamp. then i paired it with a strip of Basic Grey's lemonade paper from the 6x6 pack... perfect for this. add some crinkly pink seam binding, DeNami buttons again, a rhinestone, and VOILA! *sigh* i LOVE :D

thanks so much for coming by--i love reading your comments... do you like seeing these tags, or do you prefer the cards? let me know!

oh, and one last thing... any guesses as to what i'll be sharing with you LATER in the week? i'm pretty freaking stoked to show you :D

have a WONDERFUL day, and don't forget to come back later to see more! :D

tons of tags...

2010-07-05T17:55:00.001-07:00

hey there! hope you had a wonderful holiday if you were in the US. i sure did... i went to my parents house for some awesome food (the jambalaya and salad my mom made was AMAZING!), took a nap, watched a movie, and then went down the local pier to watch about 5 different fireworks displays. it was awesome... a little windy, but i could see really awesome fireworks all the way to Seattle! (and that's a ways away!) hopefully none of you burned off any hands or fingers--you'll need those for crafting + commenting on my post :D

well, yesterday i told you that i would be showing you some tags that i'd made. i'm up to #60 i think... so i've been busy! some of them are similar, but most of them are totally unique, like the one above with the 'K'. i made that tag for a friend who had a graduation party on saturday... she's an awesome baker and cook, and if you visit her BLOG, be forewarned that you'll walk away hungry and drooling :D anyway, Krista is an awesome girly, and i thought that this personalized tag would be fun for her.

you can see below that in order to create her card, i teamed it up with some Spring Moss card stock from PTI as well as some Polka Dot Basics II. i think that the polka dots may be my new favorite. i mean, seriously.
also, you can see in the corner a small little sentiment from Delightful Dahlia that says, "Congratulations." all in all, one of my favorite graduation cards.

well, i know i've only shown you one tag, but i want to leave you with a little sneak at what the others look like.

yes, i'm a tease, but i want to keep you coming back for more! :D

what do you think? which colors are catching your eyes? i seriously loved creating these, and i plan to be making about 30 more. i will probably post these in my Etsy shop before the end of the month (hey--i can't get too ambitious!)

i sure love reading your comments, and be sure to check back for more card and tag creations. have a happy monday! :D

happy fourth of july!

2010-07-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

happy independence day!

(for those in the USA)

hope you have a chance to celebrate with friends and family as we enjoy our freedoms :D

i'll be back soon with some tags that i've been playing with... purely fun creating. i also get to look forward to monday--a friend is coming over to CRAFT. we are going to get inky and snipping. look for some cards later in the week.

go have a wonderful day!

july ramblings

2010-07-01T21:33:00.001-07:00

hello!

how are you all? i've been seeing some of your lovely creations and reading about your *busy* lives and i just love it. i really enjoy peeking into the window of your life, and i'm glad that you care enough to look over here :D

tonight i'm going to bring you some ramblings. no cards or layouts right now, although i'm working on that. just some fun tidbits about me :D

so here are some random pieces of whatever about me/ my life/ my loves...

i hate being in the only bathroom stall in the whole building that doesn't have any toilet paper, and just so happens to not have anyone in the bathroom to GIVE you any... ahh! so annoying!

i am quite addicted to books... i really like reading them but sometimes can't allow myself to get sucked in. you know what i mean? like, i know if i start a book, and i get into it (which i always do), i'll want to keep reading and i'll be up forever? yeah. last time i did started reading a new book at night i went to bed at 5am. no joke.
my necklace collection rivals my tank top collection. which is saying a LOT. i mean, hello? i need them in all different COLORS... gosh! ;)
i am currently addicted to watching "america's got talent." i LOVE seeing the horrible auditions, the great auditions, and mostly, howie mandel's reactions :D

i cleaned up last night. there was a mostly full sink of dishes waiting for over 1 week and i finally did them and put some in the dishwasher. do you ever wait a really long time? or am i the only one who can get away with that because i'm single?
annoying people and making them laugh is one of my goals in life. i love to do it simultaneously if possible. today, i showed a motion-sensored, light-up GRUB to my vice principal at school. kinda like those dancing/ singing fish? the ones where if you walk by they start moving and making noise. yeah? it was AWESOME. i was getting 'prepared' for next year... HA! (p.s. i love being a teacher on break :D)
while drinking water tonight i burned my tongue. i have a sinus infection (from AGES ago... it's been lingering, i've been in denial, i've been hacking up a lung recently but am now on the getting better/ on antibiotics side of things) and i wanted to drink some warm water, so i put a cup in the microwave, and ended up setting the time for too long. burned. OUCH!
i LOVE to scream on roller coasters and amusement park/ fair rides. i.LOVE.it. i chaperoned a field trip to an amusement park recently before the end of school, and i think i enjoyed myself more than my kids.
here's a random facebook post i made the other day:

Virginia Larsen hasn't been to a dance recital in who knows how long... go jewett girls! :D

i learned (and taught) a two-part harmony during a long car drive/ ride the other day. even though i was sick and didn't have a voice, i thoroughly enjoyed it. and i discovered that i'm not actually all that bad once you teach me the part. i used to think that since i was a band geek in HS and college (all four years in both HS and college... i was in the marching band... tenor sax... i went to band camp) i couldn't really sing/ harmonize. but omygosh! i like it! :D
i love my brothers. they're awesome. all of them. and my SISTER??? don't even get me started on how cool SHE is :D hehe!
my family dog 'cookie' back at home HATES 4th of july fireworks, and sometimes, i have to agree with her. don't get me wrong, i love seeing the shows, and the awesome displays, and an occasional sparkler... BUT >> what i really don't like is trying to sleep at night on the 4th... it's WAY.TOO.LOUD. anyone with me here?
current music obsession is Ke$ha... i could literally dance all night *BIG SMILE*

current flavor obsession is... give me some cream cheese + jam on some toast or a bagel. plain and simple. that, or americanized asian food :)
current movie obsession is anything funny. like i just watched tom sellack in 'quigley down under,' and although it's an action movie, there are touches of humor that i LOVE.
current smell obsession is just.washed.laundry. i love my detergent.
lastly, i love reading blogs. i love reading blogs that people update frequently, and put an effort into (unlike me most of the time... boo! i know, i should, and i try, but recently it's seemed as if everything needs my attention more, and that really makes me sad.) so a few of the blogs i LOVE to read are as follows, and are TOTALLY worth checking out. do yourself a favor, and hop on over...

Amy Cecelia Christine Dawn Heidi Mish Paulina

so that's it for me tonight! i hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend (if you're in the USA!) and that you stay safe :D go eat lots of yummy potluck/ picnic food!

cosmo cricket LOVE :D

2010-06-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

today i bring you more cards from the stamp night at Impress last weekend... (i mentioned it in THIS POST) while i was there i made a set of similar cards from some of Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird line... i just matted the patterned paper, rounded some corners, attached pompoms and buttons, and did some simple stamping for all the sentiments.

i started out with a HUGE polka dot stamp that i found lying around, and i stamped it on different Bazzill papers in different/ matching colors. you can really see the texture on some of these, which i think is really cool...

after stamping the circle/ polka dot in white, i used some VersaFine ink in black to stamp the various sentiments.

from there i just used a Fiskars scalloped 2" circle punch and popped them all up onto some foam for dimension.

i love that i found some colored twine to thread the buttons up with...

i used green, cream, and blue twine for the button threading depending on the main colors of the patterned paper on each card.

you saw one of the cards from this set already the other day that i gave to my assistant coach in water polo, Gordon. he needed something with blue/ green :D

anyway, i love how these turned out and how they're all really similar but could be given away separately.

you know one of my favorite parts of this card set? the different sizes of trim that i used... i had SUPER mini pompoms on some, and then...

bigger ones on others! :D

well, thanks for looking and leaving your comments--it means a lot! have a wonderful thursday... i know i will! i'm heading off to take a nap before i go play some water polo on my pick up team. thursday and sunday nights are fast becoming a key part of the week for me, i look forward to playing water polo so much. do you do something like that for yourself once or twice a week that you really look forward to? let me know, i'd love to hear about it :)

thanks again, we'll chat soon!

water polo 'thanks' + w00t!

2010-06-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

tonight i have the last official meeting of the 2010 girls water polo season... it's the awards banquet tonight, and since i'm the head coach, i have a big role in the awards--i usually say something about every one of the girls, and it's nice to hear from the parents what they thought of the season, and how they thought their girls improved... generally a great time for all! tonight should be extra special seeing as this season was the first time since i've started coaching that we've made it to state, and we not only MADE it, but we placed FOURTH out of 8 teams when we'd started from the #8 slot! :D

so yeah, lots of fun to be had tonight.

anyway, here's a card i made (one of the 32 created at stamp night) for my assistant coach, Gordon. he's awesome. i've been blessed by his help and steadiness this season. also, as a fellow teacher, he really keeps me sane. i coached his daughter my first year of everything, and it was a good thing for everyone that we keep doing things together. i generally let him do the 'detail talking' like administrative paper-worky things, and i do the yelling, correcting, and teaching of the game :D basically, the fun part!

so every year i give him a little thank you gift just to remind him that it means a lot to have his help, and this is what i came up with to go along with the gift:

i made about 8 cards at stamp night that follow the same layout... i used a HUGE polka dot on some Bazzill textured solid paper, for this card, the paper was green, and i stamped the circle in white chalk ink. then i layered my sentiment over the top of the white, in this case, 'thanks.' then i punched out the whole thing with a 2" fiskars scalloped circle... it's pretty simple, but that's exactly what i needed for Gordon. after all, he's a guy. i might be pushing it a little on the 'masculine' card with the pom poms, but i figure that the October Afternoon Early Bird paper in blue/ green makes up for it, right? :D

anyway, i just wanted to show you another creation, and ALSO to share some fun news! remember the MFW Tuesday Trigger card i created over HERE the other day? well...

it was chosen as a MFW Tuesday Target along with some fabulous other creations!!!

(BIG smile!)

you can read about it here... i'm so excited! it's the first time i've been featured by Cath over there at the Moxie Fab World blog :D thanks Cath!

hope you have a wonderful mid-week, and be sure to pop by later for more prettiness! :)

what a weekend!

2010-06-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

wow, i've been busy! one of my fellow teachers asked me how my weekend went, and i was like... i can't remember, but it was good. and no, i wasn't blacked out/ hungover for it :D i just had a lot of good times!

first of all, on friday night, i got to have dinner with a dear girlfriend. we talked for a solid 3+ hours at a mexican restaurant... and then we went to coffee (or italian soda for me) and then we talked more. hehe, love how those things work. then i watched a movie until waaay too late with my sweet brothers--fun!

saturday, i was scheduled to meet up with a friend in the morning to give my 'seal of approval' (or something like that :D haha!) for a house that she will be renting with her family soon... i got to see what she meant after she'd done her best to describe the 'farmhouse' feel and the lovely yard, etc. her kids are going to love the tree fort and the awesome grate in the upstairs hallway that looks DIRECTLY into the ceiling of the living room... i predict that some kids spying on parents will occur :D

here's her youngest baby boy... he fell asleep JUST like this not seconds after i snapped the picture with my phone--what a cute little baby :D (hand on the ear, one on the chest... did your kiddos do something funny like this?)

well, i spent the afternoon with my friend and her lovely brood of children (even helped her husband install their AC), and then went off to STAMP NIGHT at the Impress Rubber Stamp shop. i've mentioned these before, and i've really come to love love LOVE them because i get to use the stamps i don't own, and also all sorts of ink colors :D

here's a pretty crummy picture of the THIRTY-TWO cards (finished, mind you!) that i created on saturday night... now that's a new record! never before have i been to one of these and created so many cards (i mean, yes, some were one layer cards, but hey! that's still work, and definitely not my 'normal' style.) what a great night!

here are some pictures of a few of the one-layer cards i made... i'll be posting more as the week goes on.

i can't say that i've ever tried out the black frame around the card edge... it really makes the focal point 'pop,' don't you think?

these would be good for masculine birthday cards, even if i did use flowers instead of something else. speaking of bday cards... my dad will be needing one soon ;)

oh, i don't know if you get lovely sunsets like this, but when i was stamping away, my *other* friend that attended stamp night with me said, 'look at the sky!' and i couldn't resist snapping this with my phone camera. Washington is beautiful when it wants to be (and really saturday was 'the' day to be outside).

ooooh, and if stamping, making 32 cards, and a lovely sunset weren't enough already, get a LOOK at these CUPCAKES! :D hehehe... yes, i got to the carton before more were taken away to meet their owner's stomachs. not sure where these were purchased, but they were just as yummy as they look... which was AMAZING! i had a chocolate one to start, and since no one eating more, i took a pink/ vanilla one... hehe. no rules against 2nds on dessert, right?

sunday was equally busy as well, but one thing i got to do was have an impromptu photo shoot of self portraits. you may have noticed my new blog profile picture... i was wearing a cute outfit for church and decided to make the most of it. what do you think of the massive flower in my hair? it's gotta be one of my favorite accessories. :D

well, thanks for stopping by, and i hope you have a totally awesome week ahead of you! i only have 9 days left of teaching school for the year. needless to say, i'm quite excited. *QUITE* :D

hehe, well, have fun! :D

2S4Y Laura's #53

2010-06-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

if you've stopped by the blog lately, you've noticed that i've picked up a bit of a vintage/ shabby chic vibe in some of my cards lately. well, when i was pulling supplies for the 2Sketches4You sketch this week by Laura (#53), i found myself steering towards that style again. [btw, happy 2nd birthday 2S4Y!]

so here you can see another foray into the land of pink and ruffles, and lots of inking things up...

what do you think? like my other styles better? wanna see more? i'd love to hear what you think.

there's lots of graphic 45 paper on this, and a digital image from the etsy shop Piddix. i also used the mini cupcake stamp from PTI's tiny treats :D so darling, right?

well, my weekend has been off to a great start already--out to dinner with a friend (we talked for a good 3 hours!) last night, movie with my brothers :D at my parents house, then today i'm visiting a new home that another friend will be moving into (i get to give my seal of approval--hehe!), and then TONIGHT i'm going to a stamp night at the Impress Rubber Stamp shop in Tukwila. i've been to several of these before, and they're always soo fun! can't wait to get to use some new stamps and supplies :D

hope your weekend is filled with lots of fun too, thanks for stopping by! XOXO

moxie fab teamwork! with CPS #169

2010-06-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

today i bring you a card inspired by the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger brought to you by Latisha Yoast. what a lovely summery wedding picture! don't you love those colors? i actually have made some bridal shower invites in shades of that pink/ orange, and it was fabulous seeing them come together!

i also teamed up the Trigger with the CPS Sketch #169. how about this sketch for something interesting or different... i definitely had to stretch myself a bit here, because i normally don't use a half circle for anything.

i got so much inspiration from both of these sources though once i started crafting, and here's what i came up with.

don't you like all that ribbon? its a combination of some fancy stuff that i've hoarded (silly me!) and some dollar bin stuff... but it all looks lovely here. i used the doily specifically to mimic the tablecloth from the MFW Trigger, as well as the colorful ribbon to match the colors of the flowers and grass, etc. i also wanted to keep the card clean like the sketch, so i only added the PTI sentiment, 'wish big,' as well as some huge buttons :D doesn't that sentiment imitate the mr. and mrs. on the table? yes, i thought so too... love it when it all works out like that!

well, what do you think? teamwork works, eh? haha!

hope you have a great day!

i heart challenges

2010-05-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

so i have two cards for you today... one is from CPS #168. the side panel is supposed to have 4 elements, but my card worked better with only three, so i adjusted accordingly.

i used a lot of Graphic 45 paper, a vintage button, lace, grosgrain and specialty ribbon along with a tag and some bling. the sentiment comes from a DeNami set of sentiments... they're so perfect for these little tags :D

i don't know if you can tell from this picture... the circles are triple layered... i punched out some scalloped and regular circles, and topped them with the Graphic 45 paper.

here's a close up picture. i inked the edges of all the scallops and circles... it helps define the different lines. i kind of went for a similar look to the one in my previous card HERE.

next, i participated in the DeNami Sketch Challenge #2... so fun to see what the other DeNami fans have created for the challenge. it means i get to see more inspiration in regards to some of my favorite stamps :D

i went for a simpler style than the other card... i used all DeNami stamps for the circle dot border, the strawberry, and the sentiment. the patterned paper is from October Afternoon's 'Road Trip' pack.

anyway, i like both of these cards... they're fun in completely different ways :D the colors are more 'me' on the 2nd card...

i don't know what you're planning for the weekend, but i'm really looking for an extended period off of school... can't wait to sleep in and not have anything planned. i am going with Paulina to one of my favorite breakfast restaurants... SunBreak Cafe in Auburn. seriously, so so so good :D i'll have to let you know how it was.

i just love you

2010-05-25T23:09:00.001-07:00

i've really been having a lovely week so far... yesterday i was commitment free as far as coaching goes... i went to see the water polo girls for about an hour and then went shopping. i needed groceries so badly. you know how it is when you're sick? you don't want to cook, bake, or do anything that isn't sleeping? yeah, that was me last week, and i still had school and coaching on top of all that (and it was STATE! for that matter).

so i got groceries. i was planning a dinner with some former college water polo players... one was up visiting from CA, and the other now lives not 30 minutes away from me (fancy that, seeing as we went to college together in Pennsylvania!) i decided i was going to make some pizza. i LOVE pizza. i made a veggie pizza (spinach, onion, garlic, tomato, cheese, and red peppers... it was DELICIOUS!) and two chicken bbq bacon pizzas... ah! so good :D i can still smell them. i definitely didn't need to make all that food, because i had leftovers, but i get to save them for meals the rest of this week! :D that's what i call planning *wink*

anyway, the dinner last night was awesome and fun... we talked and laughed so much. told stories, caught up, and just enjoyed each others company. it wasn't nearly long enough, but it was so relaxing, and just what i needed. today, i stopped by the grocery store again after a pretty quiet day at school (1/2 days for conferences this week, and no school on friday because of memorial day! yay :D), and then came home... made a CARD!

i based it off of Kazan's sketch #53 over at 2sketches4you... i decided to make this a quick card, since i was starting at 4:10pm, and i needed to leave the house about 4:30pm... i told myself... i'm only going to use what's on/ near my desk. so i grabbed the Linen stack from DCWV, some of my extra Cricut cuts, a strip or two of ribbon/ lace, and then an ink pad.

the results surprised me a little. i usually don't pressure myself to finish something this pretty so 'fast,' so i'm definitely pleased...

i tried to include as many details as i could... layering flowers and buttons, rhinestones in the corner, some stick pins, a tag with the sentiment, a wooden mini clothespin, and even a transparency i made with Staz-On ink and some overhead projector 'paper' (if you could call it that... maybe acrylic? but not quite...) the sentiment comes from PTI's Delightful Dahlia set... it was super elegant and seemed perfect for this type of card.

i love this old antique look, and even if that's not what i normally create, i can definitely see myself getting into it BIG :D i just like the soft touches and the details you get to layer on and add... so fun.

anyway, i hope you enjoyed--can't wait to hear what you have to say, your comments are so appreciated! :D

blue/green/glitter/fairy/cupcake/undersea/lovely-type cards

2010-05-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

my sister Cecelia wanted me to make her some cards... you can probably guess that the title of my blog post has something to do with what i actually created :D

if that was your guess, then you are correct! i think that the description Cecelia provided me of what she wanted was perfect... open enough for interpretation, but enough direction to give me an idea of what she wants.

these cards need very little introduction other than they were really fun to make, and i really really like getting commissions that let me come up with the ideas on my own... it makes for such a creative process.

the group together with all the fun glitter and trim that i used... see all these lovely different cards? *sigh*

i love the 'frosting' on these cupcakes, don't you? just the right amount of glitter to make them special and delicious looking. Cecelia just did some baking this weekend... don't these REAL cupcakes look divine?

since Cecelia wanted to have an under the sea theme along with fairy/ cupcake, i thought that this little jellyfish from DoodleFactory stamps would be perfect :D so cute, right?

i tripled the sentiment here... "hey cupcake!" is three times the fun when you see it there on an itty bitty tag.

more octopus goodness here... (***EDITED: JELLYFISH. gosh, that's what typing something up really late at night will do to you***) this time with a different ribbon treatment. isn't that double sided satin ribbon awesome? it's from May Arts, and i love LOVE love it :D

for me, i like to pick the papers i'll be working with first when i'm given parameters for a project, but nothing specific. then i usually go with the image that i'm going to use. after that i get the ribbon or embellishments out--the buttons, tags, bling, trim, borders, etc...

while i'm thinking of fun things, let me just tell you that i've had an awesome/ tiring weekend so far. i coach water polo during the spring, and i have been either going to coach practice or a game every day for a couple of months plus several weeks... it's been grueling, i've been sick/ without a voice for a good 2.5 weeks. i seem to yell for a game, almost recover fully, and then lose it again at another game. but the schedule and time commitment has been worth it--in fact, my water polo girls did an amazing job in some games this weekend. my high school girls got 4th place at state! i am really proud of them and all the hard work that they put in...

anyway, you should check out my sister's blog... she's giving away these cards in a giveaway she's having!

thanks for coming by and checking my cards out :D

the randomness of may (and why the blog got shafted)

2010-05-20T00:20:00.000-07:00

Have you missed me? I’ve been gone too long, I know that. I just want you to know that I love posting on here whenever I can, and I love reading your feedback and comments on whatever I make and share. You’re all so encouraging.

The blog has been 'shafted' lately because I haven't had a few necessary things for it to BE updated.

A) time (because I haven't had much lately, things like the blog get put on the back burner when you have school to teach, a water polo team to coach, and 3 chiropractor appts. a week... then there's church, small group... you get the picture :D)
B) no internet at home (this makes scheduling and posting to a blog very difficult, especially when you can't post at work either... library trips become essential, but hard to work into a busy schedule when 'A' is already an issue)
C) motivation (let's face it, I haven't made a whole bunch of cards since I went on a scrapbooking retreat before my bday [which was, btw, AWESOME] so yeah. Sorry!)

Anyway, enough with the excuses... let's get on to the other part of this post--some ramblings about me/ random things. Kind of like the stuff I posted HERE a while ago. Just, you know, for fun.

May is an awesome month—it’s my birthday month, it’s a great month to be teaching school because of all the shortened weeks, and it’s a GREAT month to watch new movies. Somehow, with summer coming up, and directors wanting to have a blockbuster hit, there seem to be tons more good movies to see… like, I’ve already seen the movie Iron Man 2, and I know that it’s going to be a *HUGE* hit. Then there's so many new chick flicks, action movies, and just plain suspenseful films that I want to see...
I've been finding out that my local library has a WONDERFUL selection of DVDs and movies, and it's been addicting to browse the changing collection.
I won a radio contest (just needed to call in to win a CD and a chance to win some concert tickets) and I NEVER win stuff like that.
I stay up late reading good books when I should be sleeping.
I like going fast in my car, but I haven't seen how fast my current car can go (have you found that out? Just curious :D)
I sleep with the bedroom window open ALL the time. LITERALLY. And I have a fan going... I like the noise and the forced 'coldness' of my room so that I can cuddle up in my blankets like a butterfly in its cocoon.
I fold my t-shirts, tank tops, and blouses a certain way... like the stores do. I hate creases down the center of my shirt, I think it's sloppy...
I haven't been to bed before 11pm any night for the last two weeks... horrible, huh? Looks like tonight won't be much different...
I like to wash my car. I like it nice, shiny, and clean :D I've gone to the 'self-wash' car wash place two days in a row because I didn't quite get it right the first time... hehe!
I just got myself a new computer--an Apple MacBook. Look at it! Isn't it pretty?

Okay, so with all that randomness said, I have missed talking and sharing with you all, and I plan on being back here on a more regular basis. There are a few things that I'm super excited to share with you--one of those things being my scrapbook pages that I made at the amazing Seattle retreat. No promises on a timeline yet, I'm coaching my girls water polo team at State this week (AWESOME!) but I promise to post a project soon...

Thanks for stopping by! XOXO

bday blog candy winner!

2010-05-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

okay, so today i get to report the winner of my birthday blog candy, and i used random.org to generate a number, and it picked comment #4!

peggy nickelson said...
Hi,
My birthday is also on May 1st. (although I am older than you are) I am going to lunch with my friend Laura, who also shares the same birthday with us. I am going to celebrate with my husband on Sunday because he works Saturday nights. We are going to church and then out to dinner. I am tickled when I meet people who share the same birthday with me.
Enjoy your special day!

CONGRATULATIONS Peggy! i'll be in touch soon so i can send you your prize :D

thanks so much for your sweet comments and birthday wishes--i had an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING birthday weekend... i got to spend some sweet time with friends and family, and it was really really great :D

thanks again, and have a great monday!

bday blog candy + wish list

2010-04-27T14:44:00.001-07:00

hooray hooray! it's my birthday in 4 days! :D i love celebrating my birthday, believe it or not, and though i'm not getting old according to some, i'm still getting *older.* hehe, well, i thought that i'd celebrate with a little giveaway to share in some of the fun!

you can see from the picture below (sorry if it's not the greatest) that i've included a variety of items to make this just a plain 'ole fun prize! all you'll have to do to win is leave a comment in THIS post telling me what you do to celebrate your birthday.

that's it! :D

i'll draw a random winner sometime after the contest closes on May 1st at 11:59pm PST (May 1st is my BIG DAY!) and i'll announce the winner here later on the blog. if you don't follow me, then you'll just have to remind yourself to check back in a few days afterwards to see if you won :D

super easy way to win some goodies, don't you think? (BTW the goodies inlcude a sentiment stamp set from The Paper Company, Hambly stickers, glittered vintage tags [6], and some American Crafts coordinating ribbon. i figure you can do a whole lot with this stuff!)

also, i've had a request to post some of my *wish list* like i did last year... so here's a peek at some of the things that i would like. it would be interesting to know if any of them match up with what you like too! here goes (in no order AT ALL):

the Zee Avi CD
small and easy sewing machine (like the Janome)
large outdoor potted plant... hahaha! for my deck to replace the dead one :D
zebra print from IKEA
the "Vera" bag from Vera Bradley in 'Symphony in Hue' pattern
2PeasInABucket gift card
Storybook Cricut cartridge
PTI stamps: Polka Dots II, Giga Guidelines, Signature Christmas, Tiny Treats, Background Basics: Woodgrain...

so yeah... i think i gave a different list to my family, mostly because they don't understand the 'crafting' stuff as much as i do, and usually it's easier to tell them to get me a gift card so i can get what i want :D

so that's all for today, i'll try to pop in later with a card soon... but other than that--GET COMMENTING! you'll have until May 1st at 11:59pm PST to leave me a comment HERE in this post. good luck, and happy early bday to me! :D

***CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED***

flavorful notepads and stickies

2010-04-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

i think i'm making up for lost time here. either that or i have a lot of projects from wayyy back to show you.

this one is from over a month ago when i made some bridal shower party favors for my sister who was the maid of honor in her college roomie's wedding. i got to use some artistic license because i knew the friend, and the colors... so i was basically given free reign to make the 'right choices' in regards to patterns, layout, etc.

here's a stack of notepads i covered. my main focal point has Coredinations cardstock as the scalloped circle and base of the pad... i really LOVED working with that cardstock--super sturdy!

and oh, how i love pom poms :D

down here you can kind of see the spread of what i did... smaller 3x3 post-it pads, notebooks for jotting things down, etc. i coordinated everything, and i used some SEI papers along with a sheet or two from DCWV. i absolutely LOVE how all of them turned out, but they never would have happened without some ideas from Dawn McVey and Paulina. they are the ones who displayed how to do some of these tricks :D

thanks for stopping by again. my advice to those of you stuck in a card-making rut... go make something else! i know that making these 40 items (20 each) was so much fun for me :)

2S4Y Laura's #50

2010-04-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

so i got to play with Laura's sketch this week, and i decided to make two cards to show you... both feature some LOVELY ribbon that i picked up the other day--a new fav of mine from May Arts!

i love being able to base a card off of a sketch... it goes so quickly after that! i keep finding myself looking back at cards and using those simple sketches over and over... i definitely think that this one will become one of those.

anyway, here we go... i used some paper from the DCWV "girly" stack and then some a chandelier sticker from Hambly. i think that i need to remake this card in about 3 different color palettes... don't you? :D the sentiment is a combination of AC thickers and a stamp from Impress that i masked off a bit... super fitting for the occasion, don't you think?

this next card was super fun to make... oh how i love the fun buttons on this! the studio style stamp set from PTI has great sentiments, and i made this card with a specific crafty co-worker in mind. in fact, we're on a scrap retreat together as we speak! i've already laughed a TON and eaten some lovely food + snacks... this will be a great day! :D

thanks for stopping by--i hope you have a lovely weekend and that you get a chance to check out the rest of the talented card-makers over at 2S4Y!

P.S. oh, also! be on the lookout for some blog candy that i have planned here real soon... it's my birthday in about a week, and we'll have to celebrate :D you don't want to miss out on this! xoxox

my future's so bright

2010-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

i made another baby card... for the same baby :D haha, i couldn't help myself, and i wanted some practice doing more 'masculine' cards, and since i had the perfect opportunity with a friend giving birth to a boy, i thought i'd break out some more of the Cosmo Cricket Boyfriend line. i really had a good time making this card simple and as 'guy-ish' as i could.

i stamped out the baby boy's name, and it looked super sweet cute... his name totally fits him even though i can't show you what it is.

lately i've been finding that because my schedule and lack of internet at home, i've been making cards with no real 'purpose' in mind, like a sketch challenge, and so forth... instead, i create just to make some cards and have them on hand. like recently i made some thank you cards that used similar papers and i just did some mass producing with the same design. it's just a good day when i make something that i like. i love it when i get to sit down and just create, don't you?

this weekend (in fact, right now, as this is a pre-scheduled post) i'll be at a scrapbook retreat in Seattle--i get to stay at a super sweet hotel, sleep in or wake up whenever, and have all my meals made for me! sounds like a dream come true.

i think that what mosts excites me about this weekend is the fact that i KNOW it will be productive. basically i can't wait to get some quality scrapbooking done. i know i'll have brought too many supplies, but i find that things work better when you have more rather than less :D last time i went on a scrap retreat i made 30+ LO's. haha, yes, i actually DID make them even though i only ended up posting one of them for your viewing pleasure.

maybe this time you'll get to see a few more.

anyway, thanks for looking, and keep stopping by for some more--your comments are ALWAYS appreciated :D

fortune cookie

2010-04-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

did you ever do that thing where you read a fortune cookie fortune and added the phrase, 'in bed' at the end? just to be semi-crude and twisted? i think that i did that EVERY single time i went to the local Chinese restaurant in my college town back in PA. and i know it's not just a 'college' thing because the A Muse company has a sentiment set that does the exact same thing... except you can use the sentiments a la carte, or with the 'in bed' phrase :D

so i decided to finally use those sentiments on one of my cards. this is a great 'just because' card--i gave it to a friend who needed a little laughter and relaxation in her busy life. and i used the 'in bed' addition on the inside :D

so here's what the card reads: "Your hard work and efforts will be recognized and surely rewarded..." and then, "in bed" is on the inside :D haha. my friend appreciated the humor, but i know lots of people would be either offended or confused... do you have people that you know you can't give 'punny' cards to? i think that things like that make life so much more fun :D

anyway, i used some more Sassafras papers that i split with Amy, and also some October Afternoon rub-ons (i applied the owl to Bazzill cardstock and then cut him out) an Impress stamp for the branch, and some K&Co flower sequins (to make the owl from a 'he' to a 'she'). you can also see the QUITE different card i made the other day in THIS post using some totally different Sassy papers :D

i love the bright colors in this card... stripes are such a good way to pack in a ton of patterns or colors into a small space, while not crowding anything too much.

well, what do you think? do you approve of this message? the colors? tell me! i love finding out what you think!

thanks for stopping by :D

flowery 'thanks'

2010-04-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

okay, so i mentioned a few posts ago that i was splitting some Sassafras supplies with Amy, and i ended up getting to meet her in order to pass on the goodies--> that's what i call a win-win situation!

so when we were talking, Amy mentioned that she wanted to see something using these supplies (she's so good about pulling things out of her stash and then mixing in something new) on my blog. well, i finally got around to it a while ago, but it seems that my schedule for actual posting got in the way, and i'm finally getting it done NOW.

but it's better now than never.

i pulled out one of the double-sided papers with a softer color scheme. just so you're not confused, that's not my normal style... normally i'd do a diving leap over to the brightest colors of the bunch, but i thought a different attack might work better differently for a change... :D

anyway, i ended up looking through some of my supplies and found some great coordinating products... MM chipboard alphas, a doily, BoBunny flower, some DCWV stitch rub-ons, and a Sassafras button from Paulina.

this card didn't require any stamping, and it was amazing! i actually quite like the end result, which is always good when one is trying something new.

speaking of new, i have posted a *new* kind of feature for me... just some ramblings on my life. so if you're bored, interested, or both, head on over and check it out.

thanks for stopping by, and also for leaving your comments--it means a lot to me!

fun stuff (aka ramblings) about me

2010-04-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

so i've been inspired by my friend Paulina to do a 'rambling' post on random topics. i warn you now... none of this is terribly important, so if it's importance you're looking for, it probably won't be found here.

that being said, here goes nothing...

i like to crunch pine cones on the sidewalk to make the loudest sound possible. i frequently go out of my way to do this.
i have the been addicted to cracking everything in my body... back 2x before bed, neck, hips, knees, toes on both feet, and more... ALL just before falling asleep. i recently started going to the chiropractor and breaking said habit is HARD!
i like to draw pictures in stick figure format of the scenes from books we read in school on the whiteboard.
i have never been kissed.
i lost my voice last thursday (i coached my team against an undefeated school and shouted myself hoarse), and it's taken me until today to get it back.
i love scaring people.
i know how to play the card game bridge, but rarely do.
my closet is full of pink, red, black, and blue clothes. then throw in some green, orange, yellow, purple, and white... and VOILA!
i have a hard time spelling vaccuum correctly.
i think that facial hair on guys is cute (most of the time), and sometimes sexy. :D
i might be obsessed with baking bread...
i have been known to talk with strangers in parking lots regarding their recent Cricut purchase for their wife

and that's it for now! if you weren't bored, then it's a miracle! i might do another one of these in a bit, so we'll see how things turn out (like... did you like it/ think it was dorky? let me know).

thanks for stopping by, and sorry i've been such a stranger :)

mini monsters CPS #161

2010-04-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

o.m.gosh! i played with another sketch this week! this time i used CPS's #161 and the DeNami Design Challenge to use BUTTONS!

and i totally went crazy :D scraps came out, random pieces, and even some fun stamps that i haven't used in a while.
i've got to make this a super short post though, because my weekend is looking like it's going to be busy busy busy! can't wait to show you some of the things that i've been working on in the way of decor around my apartment!

thanks for looking :D

2S4Y Laura's #49

2010-04-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

hooray! this week is getting better by the day :D

i'm loving sleeping in and taking things easy... getting work done around the house, and cleaning up my craft space only to get it all messed up again :) nothing beats that, huh? spring break ROCKS!

here i got to play with Laura's sketch from 2sketches4you. LOVE their sketches, LOVE the participants :D hope you get a chance to play along too...

here we go.

i used papers exclusively from Cosmo Cricket's Earth Love line... so fun to just pull out the coordinating papers and play :D

i also stamped the bee using a DoodleFactory stamp, and then part of the sentiment has some mini-alpha stamping ($1 bin from M's) and also some Making Memories alpha stickers ...all very earthy, don't you think? i distressed and inked the edges to give it all a rustic feel.

i just LOVE that 'bug me' sentiment... something about me and PUNS just makes me smile :D

anyway, thanks for stopping by, and i hope your week is fun and relaxing!

'thank you' for spring break!

2010-04-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

omgosh! i've had such a busy and fun weekend...

let's see what i've done:

started spring break on friday afternoon *yahoo!*
DIDN'T coach any water polo on friday after school *DOUBLE YAHOO!*
hosted an egg coloring party which was as i'd say, a HUGE success on friday night... first real party at the apt.
slept in late on saturday, went to my parent's house and had some yummy breakfast
colored more eggs (yes, more. this time with my mom)
had some KRISPY KREME donuts! AHHHH! i LOVE them. you see, i think this might be a downfall for me... i live RIGHT next to a KK place... and they're so cheap and delicious. i will have to resist a LOT.
met AMY at Jo-Anns to give her some Sassafras goodies that we split up :D sooo fun and awesome--i'm so lucky to have met/ talked with her. (and WHY did i not get a picture with her? grrr...)
saw my friend's baby AGAIN (he's so cute!) and took her daughters to the library. we checked out some Bill Peet books that my sister Cecelia featured a while back on her blog, and also some Fancy Nancy books... can't go wrong with those, can you?
had chile relleno casserole (oh how i LOVE that dish... will have to steal and make the recipe myself) YUM
went to ANOTHER party that night... ate TONS of fruit, enjoyed friends and fellowship--stayed late.
slept through my alarm on Sunday, so went to 2nd Easter service and listened to a great sermon. thanks Pastor!
after church went to ANOTHER party at a family friends... they have 10 kids and are just so real and down to earth--can't even imagine :D
ATE WAY TOO MUCH
took a nap at said friends house
went home
finished one decoration for the wall
watched a new suspense movie
went to bed
SLEPT UNTIL 12pm!!!!

so you see, i've been busy. but it's been amazing. this week will be full of nothingness/ hanging out/ doing whatever. it will be my 1st spring break not at my parents house, so i'll be able to do WHATEVER and sleep till WHENEVER. (maybe you've wondered what teachers do during their breaks... same things the kids do.) i'm planning on seeing the movie "Date Night" featuring Steve Carrell and Tina Fey with my friend Paulina this weekend, but i think i'll be making some time for a few movies that i've wanted to see too... $2 movie theater, here i come!

anyway, my cards were super fun to make, and i made them within a batch of cards... flowers, MM little blue flower, carolyn gavin epoxy sticker, bigger Prima flowers, MM/ DCWV/ WRMK paper, PTI sentiment, and some cricut cuts. ah, some bling there too :D

anyway, i think tonight's dinner is going to be Costco style... so cheap yet yummy :D

thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely Monday!

april fools and summer wishes

2010-04-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

okay, i admit it. i'm a jokester. i love pranks. i like scaring people (as in the 'jump out and yell "BOO!" as loud as possible'). i pull pranks as often as my schedule allows. april fool's day is for me, a GREAT day.

see below.

and then this one.

do i not look majorly unhappy and hurt?

now, before you get all worried... no it's not REAL. i didn't actually get a black eye (although i've had one before).

i told all my classes this story:

ummm... water polo seems to be attacking my face. can it please stop now? (latest pictures of the injuries sustained on 3/31... after thorough icing + pain relievers) i got kicked in the face by one of the girls i coach when i got in the pool yesterday--it WAS an accident.

IN REALITY, this is just pretty instense makeup (err, paint). i used some red and blue tempera paint *yes, i know, it's weird* some purple eyeshadow, and a little bit of lipstick. VOILA! i've got all 5 of my classes convinced, and all but 2 of my co-workers that i got another water polo injury :D even my sister was upset that i posted these to my facebook page earlier because it was apparently upsetting my grandmother (which wasn't my intent, but i think it's AWESOME that i fooled just about everyone).

see, i actually DID get a bruise earlier this week from getting elbowed in the chin. it hurts (and is still getting better)

it was basically a huge blood blister inside my mouth, and one reason i had everyone fooled is that i got a concussion from water polo about 3 weeks ago, so getting a kick to the face really is quite plausible.

anyway, i would love to hear of any april fool's that you pulled on someone... i've heard of some awesome stories--let me know if you hear one :D

anyway, on to my cards >

this is a simple summery card, made with some WeRMK paper, and some PTI sentiments. love the bright colors :D

here's another one using the same concept with a fun flower and some ribbon leaves. i used an epoxy button thing from K&Co, May Arts ribbon, and the swirl comes from DCWV paper 'Mi Casa' line :D

totally fabulous, right? you can't get any better than that BOLD swirl! i rolled the edges on that baby a bit, and it gave it the perfect texture for the card. no sentiment needed! i love that.

okay, that's it, i JUST officially started SPRING BREAK from school, and i've got a egg coloring party planned for tonight, so i've got to get workin! :D

also, don't worry, i haven't forgotten about the pompom pictures i was going to show you... give me a few days to relax from school and i'll get them up in a jiffy.

thanks for stopping by! :D

spring card + cleaning

2010-03-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

thanks to everyone who visited yesterday during the PTI blog hop... i love reading all your sweet comments!

i love looking at everyone's perspectives, and blog hopping gives me lots of inspiration... if you participated and i didn't stop by your blog, i'd love for you to leave me a link in the comments section.

today is a beautiful day (again) in Washington after some rainy days, and i'm a huge fan of fun and bright colors... i thought it was a good day to share a spring-ish card with you.

i made this one while a friend of mine was over--she brought some lovely MME paper, and i used some ribbon from my stash as well as a few flowers (Prima, Making Memories, and BoBunny). no sentiment on this card... it can be an 'anything' card...

i've got a whole bunch of things to do this weekend, i only have one more week until my spring break for teaching... totally looking forward to it.

but before i start my break, there's a few things that i'll be doing--i'll be cleaning a little, vacuuming out my car, doing taxes (1st time by myself--yikes!), baking more bread and cookies (yummy), and i'll also be trying a pork tortilla recipe for the crock pot. also, i've been wanting potato salad and egg salad sandwiches (i think it's the advent of Easter that is provokin my desire for boiled egss... i love coloring eggs) so i'll probably make some of that too. i have almost all of my pictures/ posters hung up, but that's my last project of 'moving in' that i have. here's a picture of one of my wall frame groupings...

i'm also going to be hanging these tissue paper pom poms from the ceiling in a few of my rooms... it'll be awesome when i'm done. i'll share pictures, don't worry :D

hope your plans for the weekend are fun... and that you get to fit in some creating!

March PTI Blog Hop

2010-03-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

i have a fun post for you today, because it's the 25th, and time for...

here's the challenge from Nichole this month...

This month we're calling all button lovers! Now's your chance to explore the world of possibilities that buttons hold! From borders to backgrounds, accents and embellishments, or even incorporating them into stamp images like any of our Button Bits stamp sets. From paper projects to home decor to jewelry and more, the sky's the limit! We want to see all your very best creations using buttons and the inspiration we will gain from each other should prove to be truly enticing!

now this challenge was actually a little harder for me than i thought it would be... not because i don't use buttons, but because i had to pick what to DO with them--limiting it all down to one or two projects. sheesh! there's so much you can do with buttons!

so, i present you with project #1:

i think this paper from Sassafras Lass is my new addiction... i LOVE the Nerdy Bird line! i think that the cute little clouds/ sunshine, and arts/ crafts images are sooo cute... and they're so cheery and fun--perfect for a baby boy gift, don't you think?

i have a friend who's expecting any day now, and i've already made a baby girl card in case she has a girl, but she kinda has a "feeling" about this kid--she thinks she'll have a boy. :) i don't have any experience with having babies, but i hear that womens intuition is fairly accurate... is that so? her family doesn't like to know the sex of the baby before it's born, so i'm in suspense waiting to find out! the blues on this paper were perfect for a boy gift, so i'm hoping i get to give it to her!

can you see the "congrats on your new little bundle" sentiment from Dawn's Signature Greetings set? ahh, so perfect for the front of the envelope

so here's a cute little bottle full of pom poms that i might give her--or i might just fill it with some sweets that she's been craving lately :D the bottle has a cute Sassafras sticker and a button topping the center. then right up next to the bottle and lid is a close-up picture of the buttons that i stamped in random colors and added some real buttons too :)

this is a shot of the back of the envelope--i added a 'baby' stamp from DeNami Design, and put a gem like a little asterisk on the side... it's the little details, right?

ahhh! here's one of my favorite parts! the 'smile' letters are from American Crafts, and i put a little button instead of the dot on the 'i' :D but do you see below that? the row of rainbow buttons? the AWESOME rainbow buttons from Studio Style? so so so fun! slightly time consuming, but TOTALLY WORTH IT! i used 14 different stamp inks for the row of buttons... the middle sized button with 4 holes seemed to be the perfect one to use for the border above the ribbon, and i can't wait to do this again!

it's almost too cute to give away, but i think i can handle it :D

project #2:

here i decided to make some of my own button background paper, and i did it using Dawn McVey's stamp set Studio Style. i just love these buttons, and the fact that you can stamp them in any color you want. i love shabby chic cards, and i decided to make one here. i used mostly pink ink and then some Tim Holtz distressing ink to give the paper a softer look.

i paired this PTI hop with an awesome sketch from DeNami Design that was created by my friend Paulina. i also made a card using this sketch earlier this week. you can see it here.

anyway, i used some Basic Grey Lemonade paper from a 6x6 pack, and some book print i had stamped and added a button to to make a cute little flower like the ones that Dawn has made.

i thought that since the ric-rac die came out from PTI this month too, it would work to use some here too (with lace of course). i added some gems, and my sentiment 'sweet friend' is stamped on the flower leaves, and it comes from DeNami Design as well. here's the close up of the focal point...

do you like it? :D

and project #3:

for this card i used some WeRMemory Keepers paper... it's got tons of glitter in all the right spots, as well as some distressing. :D i paired it up with Making Memories "just chillin'"paper (the orange and white w/ stars). then i used my Cricut to cut the oval shapes, which i rarely do, i usually use circles... and pulled some flowers out of my stash (Prima). the buttons in the flower centers are topped with gems, and there's a sweet flourish made of gems :D can never have too much bling, can you?

i decided to use the Big & Bold Wishes set for this card... such a great set for sentiments, and it really packs a punch on this card that is kind of busy. what do you think of all the bright colors? did you notice i grouped another set of buttons along the side, orange ones from DeNami Design (tutti frutti pack)

like i said before, i couldn't narrow it down to one project! which one did you like the best? i kinda liked all of them... :D thanks so much for stopping by--i'm so looking forward to seeing everything that you've created!

happy hopping!

DeNami Sketch Challenge #1

2010-03-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

i think i know what you're thinking...

either it's--omgosh, why is she doing ANOTHER sketch challenge,

OR

it's--yay! so glad she's showing me something pretty :D

i'm hoping the latter is the case.

so--here's the deal. DeNami Design is having a lot of fun over at their newly remade blog, and they're really amping up the fun... they're hosting a challenge twice a month on the 5th and the 20th, and all you have to do is follow the guidelines--either use the colors, sketch, theme, etc.

AND here's the best part (for me at least)... my good friend Paulina is on the DT, and she *MADE* this sketch! how COOL is that? :D

anyway, awesome sketch Paulina... here's my creation.

i was definitely in a summery mood... i've got the 'yum yum' stamp in light green ink in the background along with the small polka dot stamp paired with the watermelon slice image... all from DeNami.
the sketch is really sweet and simple--perfect for a newbie, or really just anyone. no excuses not to play, right? :D *ha, like we need excuses to make cards, right?*

so yeah, i added the lace from my LSS, the BG watermelon chippie (from the lemonade line) along with some b/w SEI paper and some bling along the bottom of the watermelon rind.

so what do you think? gonna play along? if you don't then AT LEAST go and look over at Paulina's work, or the others from the blog :D

have fun this week... i'm definitely going to be busy. i have 3 polo games to coach this week, so i'm sure i'll be really tired all the time. i can't wait for a friend of mine to have her baby--can't wait to meet him or her! :D

well, have an awesome week, thanks for stopping by!