Verve Visual stamps....I can't get enough of em!

This is my last post before I head off to California... I made this card for an employee that is getting promoted tomorrow. I really like the way this turned out. I used the patterned 6x6 paper and coordinating card stock from paper trey. This paper is awesome. I have used it twice already. I used the cuttlebug embossing folder with swirls for the front and some buttons I had laying around. I used the scallop punch from stampin up for the inside. It is so much easier than using the slit punch to create a scallop. The stamps as mentioned above are from Verve Visual. I have used these stamps a ton! They seem to be just right for any occasion.

Hope you have a great week!

September birthdays a plenty

Hello! I wanted to pop in and share this card I made for my good friend Stacey. I used the ChiChi Boulie stamp and then mixed it with the Bella Rose paper and the red riding hood red cardstock. I used a chocolate chip ribbon and my nestability rectangle to add something. I also used some diamond dust on the wings and cake. The card is really pretty IRL. I like the way this turned out! It seems like there are so many birthdays in September. I know of at least five right off the top of my head. It sure will keep me busy. Speaking of busy, I am getting ready to fly out to San Francisco for vacation with my husband this weekend. We are going to road trip around California. I imagine we will stop at some scrapbook stores along the way :0).

Hope you all have a great week!

And......I am back!

Things have been so hectic at work lately and I have been quilting up a storm. Sorry I haven't updated. Hopefully you haven't removed me from your blog lists forever. I really get frustrated when people who I love to see their blog don't update so I am sorry for being one of those people. I actually have been creative lately. I finished two quilts in the last two months thanks to my friend Kim who keeps pushing me to finish projects before starting new ones (even when I fuss about it). My desire to cut into new fabric causes me to stay focused on finishing my already started projects.

Anyway, enough about that. Have any of you read "The Kite Runner". If not, you definitely wanna pick a copy up! It is the best book I have read next to To Kill a Mockingbird. I absolutely love this writer. I would actually read it again right now but I will refrain. I think I am going to read "The other bolyen girl" next. I heard it is a fantastic book. I am taking a break from the chick flick books which are normally on my bookcase.

This weekend I saw The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants". It was so fantastic! I liked it even better than the first one.

I also made my way to Jo-anne fabrics this weekend. They are having a fantastic sale on all their scrapbooking supplies. I got this collection of the colorblok fruit papers. It is so cute. I made this mini book from a tutorial on splitcoast I saw a while ago. I have been meaning to do this tutorial for awhile. I used some of the coordinating rub ons on the inside on top of the scalloped circles.

Also...did you see the new set from Eclectic Paperie MERRY MUFFINS

Check out this Taylor Van Bruggen's blog http://www.tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/ an awesome card. Scroll down to her Friday August 8th posting.

Hope you all are having a great week!

I am going to place my order for all the new Stampin Up stuff! I have to have all the new ribbons and some of the fantastic paper. I also really want the Upsy Daisy set.

For my Dad...........

Two nights ago I came home on my wedding anniversary evening and made my Dad a card. Most people would ask why would you make cards on your anniversary but I couldn't bear the thought of mailing my dad a store purchased card when he knows I can make them handmade. I really like the way this card turned out. It isn't too flashy but is nice. I used the basic grey collection "archaic". I love this collection so much that I bought another 6X6 at the Great American Scrapbook convention. I used the Verve Visual stars which are perfect for so many occasions.

On another note, I am feeling a little under the weather today. Last night I went to my friend Kim's house after going to the gym and a 9 hour work day. I didn't get home till 11:30 and I think it was a little much for me after the week I have had. We did get some quality quilting in and began an awesome flower quilt that I can't wait to get back to working on.

Tonight I am just staying home and watching tv and relaxing. I just watched the season premier of Army Wives (lifetime). I bawled my eyes out. If you haven't seen this show they are playing it multiple times during the week and will probably replay it next Sunday right before the new episode at 8pm. The writers for this show are amazing. I haven't seen a show that has pulled at my heartstrings like this every episode for awhile. I hate to say this but I like it more than Grey's Anatomy now.

By the way...if you haven't seen the new Chichiboulies at www.stampingbella.com you should run not walk your way over to their site.

You can see one of their new stamps on an awesome card made by Jen Del Muro www.iheart2stamp.com. IT IS AWESOME!

Also if you want to see the new long rectangle nestabilities in a card you should check out www.motherslittlehelper.typepad.com. She showcases two cute cards using these. I really want them now. (you will have to roll down a little to see it)

Well...I am off to rest now. I will be back at you with some more creations soon!

Thought it was going to be another ordinary day!

Today is mine and my husband's second wedding anniversary. I didn't have much planned after work other than going to the gym and starting a quilting project. Much too my suprise, he showed up at my work in the late afternoon with two dozen red roses. What a suprise. He had caught a flight a day early to be here. He offered to take me to dinner and to see Sex in the City at the movies. I opted for dinner and a raincheck on the movie. I heard it is 2 hours and 45 minutes long. It would have made for a late night. We did end up going to this great gourmet pizza restaurant that we had only been too once before. It was fabulous. After that we went to Half Price Books. I wanted to look for the Amy Butler book but I didn't see a copy. I guess people probably don't part with her stuff. I am getting ready to make a bag with one of her patterns. Hopefully I will post it in the next week or so.

Tonight I made a fathers day card. I needed to get one done so I can get it in the mail tomorrow. I was pleased with how it turned out. I will post it tomorrow night.

The card I am posting for today is using a new set from My Favorite Things. This set is so darn cute. I made one card using my rectangle nestabilities. Love em! If you don't have them already you will want to buy them or maybe borrow them from a friend and make lots of rectangles to have on hand. They make card making so quick , easy, and fun!

My friend Paula Bloom (prbloom.typepad.com) updated her blog with tons of cute cards and Jen Del Muro(www.iheart2stamp.com) has a great card today using the cat's pajamas stamp set called Hey Buckaroo. Don't forget to check them out.

Have a great week!

Whirlwind of a weekend

Hello! I am back and running on about 6 hours of sleep. My weekend started with the Scrapbooking convention on Friday. I met my friend Paula Bloom there and we had a fantastic time. The highlight of the convention were the spellbinders nestabilities. I picked up two sets for myself (the rectangles and the ovals) and two sets for my friend. The lady asked me if I had a spellbinders machine. I said no....and she said "guess what? Now you do". How awesome! I was just excited about seeing all the nestabilities before my very eyes without a back order wait from buying online. My friend told me that you can get them on Overstock.com. I should have gotten them there b/c they are $19.99 per set. Anyway, I am sure I will get some more in the near future. I will first have to go on a spending diet b/c I was a bit out of control this weekend. Other things I got at the scrapbooking convention, board books, brads, paper, embellishments, and more. I am so excited to play with my new stuff. After the scrapbooking convention I got on a plane to fly to home to see my family on the east coast. I got in around 11pm and then got up the next morning to go to the annual quilt convention where I "collected" some more things for my quilting hobby. There was so much stuff to buy at both conventions I could barely contain myself. Anyway, I got home last night around 1pm and am running on very little sleep.

I am heading over to my friend Kim's to make Fathers day cards. She doesn't know it yet but our new MFT stamps arrived today!

Here is my card for the day...

I made this for a friend that is expecting. I really love the paper but am not sure where it came from. These stamps are from the stampin up mini "She's all that". They work best if you color them in with a matching marker once you have stamped them (thanks Kim).

How was your weekend? What new scrapbooking supply are you most excited to rip open?

A Great Week

This week ends at noon for me tomorrow. I get to go home to visit family and go to a local quilt show. I can't wait. This past weekend, I had my friend Kim over and we did some creating. I made a few cards. She made a beautiful frame for her daughters ballet teacher and it is awesome. You can see it at http://www.sewstampscrapbook.blogspot.com/.

The card I am showing today was made using a stamp image I borrowed from my friend Paula Bloom. It is a cute mouse from Great Impressions. I colored him in using copic markers for the first time. I knew I shouldn't have even started. Now I want them all. I will probably hold off though because I really want the nestabilities in more shapes and sizes. The paper is fancy pants and the yellow things is from the tags from K and Company the saffron paper set. I just turned the tag sideways and added some buttons and voilla!

This past week I got back on going to the gym with my husband. We did really great this week! We went three days so far. Not bad. Lets see if we can do four times next week. I really want to get back into shape.

Last night I ordered the newest MFT stamps http://www.mftstamps.com/. The set was one of a few that came out. It is called heres the scoop and I can't wait till my mailman delivers it.

Tomorrow I am off to the Great American Scrapbook convention with Paula before I head out of town. I can't wait!

Talk to you next week.....

Another Riley the Moose card....gotta love em!

Hello everyone! I am getting ready to go to a business meeting tomorrow for the rest of the week so I wanted to update my blog one more time. My friend let me stamp out this Riley image. I wanted to make a card for my grandparents b/c they live out in the country and I thought that my grandpa in particular would like it. Hannah stamps have really outdone themselves with these new Moose stamps. They are just the cutest things ever and they stamp so well! Go and check them out! I guarantee you won't be able to buy just one.

The card is pretty simple but I like it just the same! Hope you are having a great week so far.

Please hop over and check my friend Kim's website as she posted a card with the fishing Riley which is so cute http://www.sewstampscrapbook.com/

Also, my friend Paula made a card with Riley in the hammock soaking up the sun which is too too cute!

Check it out!

http://www.prbloom.typepad.com/

Talk to you soon!

A Great Monday

Today was a wonderful day! Usually Monday's seem to drag but today's was pretty quick. I got off a little early today so I could go by the quilt shop to pick up the new fabric line "Flutterby" by Moda. This fabric is adorable. I especially love the ladybug fabric. It comes in all different colors. I will have to get started with a project on this. But I will try and finish one before I start cutting into this new fabric.

After the quilt store my husband and I went to Pei Wei. I love this food! My favorite is the Pei Wei Spicy.

Next we went to the grocery store where I got some really good deals. I am a coupon fanatic. I also play the grocery game on line. Check out their website. http://www.thegrocerygame.com/. You can get a four week trial for only $1.

I try and save lots of money on groceries so I can justify spending more on my hobbies! My husband can't really argue with the logic (but he tries).

Here is a card I made over the weekend! I picked up the stamp at a stamp store in Salado TX. It is near Austin. I knew I loved this stamp right away. The card was made using the spring stack from Jo-Annes the pink plaid is glittery and then Wild Wasabi for the card. The cherries are cut out and popped up for dimension (thanks for the idea Kim) and then some sparkles with the Spica glitter pens. I know it is hard to see the sparkle in the picture but it is there....

I love the way this turned out!!!

Creating once again! Woo Hoo!

I know I have been removed from blogging for quite some time. I have really missed creating and sharing with people. I still read all of my favorite blogs each day (so I wasn't completely removed).

Last night my friend Kim came over to quilt and make cards. We started the night out by purchasing the new releases from My Favorite Things. I can't wait to get the travel set and the mini dog set. They are both so cute. I should be pretty excited to get the mail in the next few weeks. I have the Chichiboulie stamps coming from http://www.stampingbella.com/. I had to have them after I saw Jen's card (you should go check it out...roll to the bottom of her blog b/c it is about 7 posts old but spectacular). http://www.iheart2stamp.com/. My rectangle scallop nestabilities and the "Its my birthday" set from CICI designs will also be coming. I can't wait!!!

After purchasing some stamps we headed to my craft room and cut out a jelly roll quilt. We had a lot of fun designing the color schemes on our own and then seeing how ours differed when we were done even though we were using the exact same fabrics. I will post them when they are stitched together. Hopefully that will be soon.

Next we moved on to card making. She brought over all her Riley the Moose stamps. I immediately was drawn to the Riley in the airplane and made this card.

I tried the liquid applique finally. I love it! It made the clouds really pop! I used a piece of My Minds Eye paper from last year and then real red card and bashful blue card stock from Stampin up. The card size is 61/4" wide by 7" tall. I got the envelopes to fit this at Wal-mart. I also paper pieced the airplane. The stamp that says happy birthday is from the "hey there cupcake set" from eclectic paperie. It fit perfectly.

Today is Mothers Day! Lots of love to all the wonderful mothers out there! Especially my friends Paula, Kim, Michelle, Denise, and Vanessa!

Leaping Leprechauns

It's pretty sad when you have to type the "L" word in a word document so it will spell check it for you. Those little green people at the end of the rainbow only are seen once a year so it is probably a commonly misspelled word. Anyway, this card is based on Jen Del Muro's sketch this week. I really like the way it turned out. I used the wintergreen paper from stampin up last year since I have a ton left. I love this St. Patty's day set. I even made my friends cards but I won't post them till they receive them so they don't get a sneak peek. It ruins all the fun. Anyway, this week has been super busy with work so I don't have much time to play. Hopefully this weekend I will get some time in to play. I just got my Stampin up order with the afternoon tea paper and all the double stitched ribbons and also the She's all that set from the mini which I can't wait to try out.

Have a wonderful rest of the week!!!

Fun with Sketches

This weekend I wanted to try my hand at some sketches. I selected Jen Del Muro's sketch which I will upload tomorrow and Beate's sketch #38 (http://beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/). I had a lot of fun trying to work with this layout. I used the boho blossoms and the bali breeze paper. I have a bunch more things I made this weekend to upload so stay tuned!

Just a small creative spurt...

Hello everyone! I have two cards to share with you today before I go to surf the web. I created these cards around the two stamps I wanted to use.

The first is for my sister in law's birthday. I wanted something simple but cute. I used the cuttlebug pin dot folder and then used the colored glitter from the catalog on the cherry. I love the way this turned out and I really love the blue bayou and soft sky colors used in conjunction with the purely pomegranate.

The second was a card for a mentor of mine. I really love the saying. It reminds me that all along the way we learn not just when we reach the goal we were shooting for. This card was made using the pin dot again. I tried to make the colors a little more masculine.

Hope everyone is having a great week. My Favorite things (http://www.mftstamps.com/) has a new release tomorrow night and Kitchen Sink Stamps (www.kitchensinkstamps.com) released three new sets yesterday. Check out Paula's site for a cute bunny card using the Kitchen Sink Stamps (http://www.prbloom.typepad.net/). Also if you check out the my mothers helper under the blog list on the right of my blog you will see previews of the my favorite things stamps.

One a Bella Two a Bella Three a Bella and I'm done!

Last night my friend Kim (www.sewstampscrapbook.blogspot.com) came over the hang out and make cards. I wanted to make her a little gift before she came over so I used some paper I bought from Hobby Lobby that morning and went to work. I made one for me first so I could see if I liked the color combo's together before creating hers. By the time I was done with mine she had gotten here. I hid mine and asked my wonderful husband if he could go get me some more of the paper b/c I only bought one sheet of it and it was only enough to cover one book. I wanted to replicate my sample for her with the same paper. When she got here I showed her the book and she loved it! So I went to work coloring her Bella for the front with blond hair. Every time I attempted to finish I would color something the wrong color and have to start over. After three Bella's with paper pieced dresses I was done.

I love the way this notebook turned out. I used the notebook from Target (6x6) and then covered it with some paper from Hobby Lobby. I used the regal rose ribbon from Stampin up and then the Bella (www.stampingbella.com). I paper pieced her dress using the paper from last years spring mini and then made some dividers with my punch. I stamped the top of the tabs with my fancy flexible set. There are some flourishes on the sides of a couple of the words so I just used those. Hope you like it! I have got to find some more of those books...

I am going to breakfast and then on the hunt for a few things. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Can't wait to stamp it up this weekend!

Hello everyone! It is 75 degrees here and gorgeous. Perfect weather for TX if I do say so myself. This past week was a little crazy at work so I didn't get too much creative time in. I did hang out with my friend Kim on Wednesday night and do some stamping. Paula Bloom let me borrow her strawberry paper trey (http://www.papertreyink.com/) set to play with. I wanted to make the same card she made (http://www.prbloom.typepad.com/) because I absolutely loved it. So here is my attempt. For some reason Wednesday night I was measurement challenged and could seem to cut a square. I kept having unequal measurements so I handed what I had cut correctly and the stamped images to Kim and let her make them for us both. We made two each of these cards b/c we both wanted one. We had a lot of fun and have since both ordered this stamp set. Thank U Paper Trey for creating this set!!! I love it!

Anyway, on my way home from work today I stopped at my local scrapbook store and picked up the stamping bella! She is so cute. I can't wait to make something with her.

Hope you have a great weekend and I will be posting again soon. I am placing a big stampin up order this weekend for the stamps from the new mini! I can't wait to get them.....

Verve Visual stamps ROCK!

I just got my star stamps from Verve Visual but couldn't play last night b/c I had stamp camp. When I got home tonight I decided to break them out. For some reason I really wanted to do something with the blue bayou paper. So I used my 6X6 pad from Nana's Nursery paper b/c it coordinated and went to work. Wouldn't you know I was about to order a pack of very vanilla cardstock and already had some. Good thing I looked through my stash. That could be a sign that I have too many .... Nah!

Anyway, I want to thank http://motherslittlehelper.typepad.com/ for giving me the idea. I love, love, love the card she made. I would have never thought of layering the card this way. That is why we are so lucky to have a blog land full of wonderful creative stampers to inspire us. Thank You!

I made this card for a real close friend of mine who just got promoted and is moving back to Alabama with her three babies (triplets). I will miss her dearly. She isn't really a pink kind of girl so I thought the blue would suit her perfectly.

Thanks again to Verve Visual (http://www.shopverve.com/) who really makes the best clear stamps I have ever used. I am about to go on and buy another set tonight! Now that is a completely satisfied customer! You should give them a try if you haven't already. They are having a sale right now for 15% off their stamps. But hurry! It won't last much longer.

Hope you all are having a wonderful week!

And...I'm back...with lot's of things to show you

Tonight was my stamp club. We had a really good time and got to make some cool things using the Salebration stamps. I really didn't think I had a need for these sets until Denise started showing us what you could make with them. Now of course I want at least one if not two of them.

Last night, I went to Paula Bloom's for dinner. It was her son's birthday. We had a really good time. I took a picture of the card I made for him. I whipped it up about a half hour before we had to go. I thought I did a pretty good job. I love the color combo in this. I don't want the "in" colors to go away. I love them all!

And last but not least. I have a card I cased from Paula bloom with a borrowed stamp set no less. It isn't as "heavy" as Paula's b/c I am not as good at adding depth but I really love it. I mailed it to a friend of my husband's who just found out they are expecting a baby. I wanted to do it with yellow and green but realized I don't have a good yellow stamp pad. I only had the so saffron.

Hope you like all the postings. Hopefully I will have time create some this week. I just got the star set from Verve Visual and I can't wait to use it! I have to make a promotion card for a friend.

Let me know how your week is going if you get a chance....

The search for an umbrella and pickles for dinner

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't blogged this week. I have been very tired this past week. So I've pretty much been working and sleeping. I am recovering from mono and it seems like any time you get run down you feel like you are getting it again. But luckily for me ... I think I was just tired from have a sinus infection. Well enough about me.

Last night on the way home from work I stopped by to see my friend Paula. She invited me for dinner. We had fresh deli sandwiches (so yummy) and I ate a ton of these bread and butter pickles that she got from a specialty store. Next...we headed to my favorite room in the house...her stamp room. She has so many stamps I just want to move in there! Last night I was determined to help her find the Umbrella clear stamp to her stamp set from my favorite things. Guess what...we searched everywhere and couldn't find it. Darn it. Those clear stamps could stick to anything. Oh well I guess it will be a good chance for me to go back and search for it again. While on the search I saw so many fun stamps. I'm telling you that her room is addicting. Anyway, I guess I should get up and get going this morning. My friend told me that the new cuttlebug cartridges are at Hobby Lobby so I will have to go and see. I want the pin dot one.

I do plan to post some things this weekend so please come back and visit.

I am looking for the perfect Easter stamps. Leave me a comment and let me know who makes your favorite Easter stamp.....

Talk to you soon!

Retail Therapy

You know what I think is pretty funny? I spend all week thinking about all the things i am going to get accomplished on the weekend and when it gets here I procrastinate by going to my local scrapbook stores and quilt shops and visiting with friends. Shame on me. This weekend I went to Scrapping Bunnies this fabulous little store not too far from where I live. They have great stuff. This past weekend they were having a 50% off sale which of course I had to partake in. So since I didn't do chores this weekend, I decided to make cards. I felt the need to accomplish something and paying bills and balancing the finances isn't too fun. Here is a card that I saw a layout on splitcoast for. I loved it so I tried it myself. Believe it or not I have had my stamps from My Favorite Things and hadn't even broken into the plastic. So today I opened them up and made what I think is a pretty cute card. I am really working on making "heavier" cards. That means more layers and stuff. My friend Paula Bloom (see link on my blog - Love blooms in me) has perfected this art. I really like cards that are either Heavy or very simple. I can't seem to find any middle ground. So for now I will operate on extremes. I really like the way this card turned out...I even stamped the inside with the saying "Good Friends are Priceless" and stamped some shoes and a purse to add a little detail in the purely pomegranate ink on the purely pomegranate paper to give it a little extra added effect.

Card Recipe:

Black card stock 5X5 finished card size

Bali Breeze Card Stock

Purely Pomegranate double stitched ribbon

Black stamp pad

Jewel embellishments

White Gel Pen

I made this card for a good friend of mine. Out of the blue she sent me a valentines package that included "Valentina" the valentines boyd bear and some yummy chocolates. It was very sweet of her to think of me. Especially since I didn't get a chance to get a card out to her for Valentines day. So hopefully this card will make her smile. She and I love to shop together. We have been doing it for years and years! We know every mall in our hometown like the back of our hands and were never afraid to brave the malls the day after Thanksgiving. Hope she likes it!

Talk to you soon!

Rain Rain Go Away....

It has been raining like crazy here in TX. This morning I was awoken by what I thought was my husband dropping things in the next room but instead it was marble sized hail pelting my house and the surrounding areas. I haven't seen hail like that before! Anyway, I promised I would upload my moose cards but got sick yesterday and didn't get out of bed the whole day! I did watch a couple movies though which I never do. I saw "No Reservations" with Catherine Zeta Jones. That is a great movie! I also saw Suburban girl which was suprisingly good as well.

Anyway, today was a great day. I got to spend time with our favorite twin neighbors. Both seven year old adorable girls. They always have so much energy! Tonight, I got to go to dinner with my friend Paula Bloom (http://www.prbloom.typepad.com/) and her husband. Her husband and mine talked the whole time and I admired her beautiful cards and saw in person the new cuttlebug cartridges. Oh my gosh! I have to have them.....Especially the pin dot one. I will have to drop a few hints around the husband. Paula also made this awesome Strawberry card that I love. I will have to try and replicate it! It is so cute. Maybe this will prompt her to post it on her blog for you all to see!!!
Anyway, today I worked on quilting a little so I will try and create some new cards tomorrow. There is a great sketch I saw that I want to try.

Here are the Riley the Moose stamps! They are fantastic! They are even cuter in person if that is possible. You will want the moose in the chair for sure and if you plan on doing anything for St. Patty's day you will want the other one. I also bought Riley with the beer in his hand but I haven't made anything with that one yet. I want to try out the chunky glitter that my friend Kim bought from Stampin up. She used it on a clover and it looked awesome!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hello! Today is Valentines day! Hope everyone is having a good one. It is amazing to me that this Holiday creates such a stir. People really should tell/show each other they love them on an ordinary day. I guess it takes some men getting close to in trouble by their significant others to get out there and buy some flowers. Today when I was driving to work with co-workers, I saw a man with a vase of beautiful flowers in his front seat holding them and checking them over while he drove. He kept checking them to make sure they looked okay it was kind of funny. We honked and gave him the thumbs up and he smiled and gave us the thumbs up.

This crazy day has almost come to an end and I forgot to even write out my husbands valentines day card. It is made though. I will have to go write it out in a minute. My ideal Valentines Day has changed over the years. Now I am just happy to not spend a $100+ dollars on dinner and then have my significant other spend $60 on flowers that probably won't last a week. I have other things I would rather spend the money on...like some new stamps...

Speaking of! I got the two new stamps from Elsybell's. So so so cute. I made a card for my friend Kim (http://www.sewstampscrapbook.blogspot.com/) for Valentines day and gave her the stamp and sentiment along with the bucket (target $1 bins) in the picture below. I used the crimper to give the hearts some texture and painted the coffee stir sticks a robin egg blue. I pulled it all together with some pink and robin egg blue ribbon that I had on hand. I put some Peanut butter hearts to top it off. Her and I always hang out on Wednesday's to stamp so I wanted to do something creative for her. The card above uses the new bali breeze paper from stampin up on a chocolate chip cardstock. This bali paper is so nice. I like all the sheets but thought this one would work best. I used a pink glitter pen on one of the girls dresses but you can't tell in the picture.

Last night Kim, Vanessa, and I hung out and stamped. It was a lot of fun. She played with her new stamps and then we stamped out our Riley the Moose stamps.

By the way, all the co-workers liked the candy bags. I think the guys even liked them too. Well at least the chocolate that was inside. That I am sure of!

Check back tomorrow and I will have three new cards for you that are sure to put you in the St. Patty's day mood.

It's a great day!

Today was a great day! I got 1000 hits on my blog. It is so nice to know that I can share my passion with others. I really love blogging! I will have some blog candy to celebrate 1000 hits soon.

Well tonight, I got home early. I decided to relax and watch a movie and finish my 50 candy bags for my co-workers. I can't wait to give them out at work. I like doing things for people who aren't expecting it. I think it is great how a small gesture of kindness can brighten anothers day. Just like my friend paula bloom (http://www.prbloom.typepad.com/) who named my blog "E" for excellent! and my friend Kim (http://www.sewstampscrapbook.blogspot.com/) also made my day when I got my mail and there was a handmade valentine from her. I feel very thankful for friends and this creative outlet. Hope everyone has a great week! :0)

More creativity to come as I use my new Riley the moose stamps (http://www.kreationsbykrissy.typepad.com/) and finally get a card finished with the Hey there cupcake set from Eclectic Paperie (http://www.eclecticpaperie.com/). Hope you will come back and visit!

Go ahead and cut into that paper you have been admiring!

I promised you I would post my new creations today so here they are. I was online at my friend Kim's house last night and we were looking at all the challenges for card making out there. I decided to make my own challenge. I had brought a pad of the K and company Wild Saffron paper and some embellishments and by darn I was going to cut into that paper. I don't know what I have been waiting for. The end result was that I stretched myself creatively. I really like the result! I took these to work today and people really liked them. I hope you enjoy them as well. Please leave a comment if you do! It brightens my day to see what others have to say. Hope you are having a great week! The weekend is almost here and I have lots of crafting to do to get all my Valentines in the mail in time. By the way...has anyone seen the green M&M's that are out right now....I am thinking St. Patty's candy bags with a topper and the St. Patty's day Riley the Moose from Hannah Stamps. I know, I know, I still have a holiday in front to finish up before moving to the next but I can't wait to start on it!!!

Talk to you soon!

Still making valentines....

Hello Everyone! Only 7 more days till Valentines and I still have a bunch of cards to make and get in the mail. Tonight I was supposed to be doing that but I got side tracked. Tune in tomorrow to see what I made. I want to take a picture of the finished products in full light. This card was made a few days ago for my friends little boys. We made two of them and I really liked the way they turned out. I used the 6X6 print pad (level one hostess set) and the new real red striped ribbon. This is a must have item. I am going to have to get it in the blue as well. Hope everyone is having a great week and having lots of creative energy. I have been seeing a lot of beautiful creations out there in blog land... Here are a few I really liked:

An Awesome Baby shower favor (you won't want to miss this!) Great work!

http://notimetostamp.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

This site has some really cute party favor boxes that are perfect for girls or boys. I really love these!

http://papersmiles.blogspot.com/

This was my favorite card layout/stamp mix I saw today! Super Cute!

http://justgivemestamps.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Two for the price of one on this website

A very creative Monkey card

A really cute card using the new friendship stamps from Elsybells (see places I like to shop on the right of my blog) these are so cute---I want them!!!

http://stampinat6213.blogspot.com/

Very nice valentines card using the mini set from MFT (my favorite things)

http://www.inkinitupwithkendra.blogspot.com/

Gotta love the creativity and layers to this card!

I really like how the paper was used to create a visual frame on top of the base. I bet this card is stunning in real life! Great job!

http://twisted-chick.blogspot.com/

Well I thought it would be nice to share some blogs today b/c I really get inspired by all the creativity out there! Thanks for sharing with me!

The things a girl can do with stamps, paper, scissors, and some bling!

This week has been a busy one. I worked like crazy the first two days of it and created like crazy the second two days. And guess what...I still have one day left. I wish I could sleep to find some energy. I should be resting now but I can't contain my excitement from the cards I made burning the midnight oil with my friend Kim last night. I haven't gotten much sleep so stop me if I start to ramble. I have to say that crafting with friends is the absolute best and I am fortunate enough to have a very talented and creative group of friends. I am so glad I met them. Kim is new to the blogging world and has the talent of card making, scrapbooking, quilting, sewing, and she finds time to be a super mom to her four adorable children. Please check out her blog and leave her a comment! http://www.sewstampscrapbook.blogspot.com/ I know it would really make her day. Sometimes people don't leave comments on blogs but I think it is a nice way to show someone that you have looked at their work and you like what you see. I try and comment as much as possible. It strokes the ego. Lets face it, making cards is a lot of hard work and you want someone to notice. Well enough about that...

The cards I made last night are using the valentines paper and stamps from last year. Well, with the exception of the turtle from Inky Antics who is so darn cute when he's flipped on his shell. The inside of the card reads hope you are back on your feet again soon. I made this card for a friend that just had foot surgery. I hope she likes it!!! By the way...does anyone want to sell me their love matters set from the mini last year? I really would like to have a set of my own. I borrowed to create these cards.

I made all these cards from scratch. That is my big accomplishment. The design is all my own. I think they turned out pretty well. I can see that I am getting better the more I practice but I still have a lot I can learn. There are so many beautiful cards out there in blog land.

Well Good night everyone~!

Oh yeah! One more thing...I bought Riley the moose today from Hanna Stamps and the Hey there cupcake set from Eclectic Paperie. You must go check them out. I know that Riley the Moose is going to sell out fast...he is adorable.

Friends+Stamps=Happy Heart

Hello! I had such a great day today. I had stamp camp with my friends. I love going b/c I get to make new things, have sweet treats, and hang out with people who love to do what I do. What could be better. Tonight our demostrator put together some beautiful projects. I especially love the idea of stamping the elephant on paper and cutting him out from the happy heart day set. If you haven't gotten this bundle you will want to. It is a great deal with the two sets of ribbon the treat bags and the stamp set. You can't go wrong. Hope you like these creations as much as I do. I see a lot more of Ellie in all different prints in my future. I will update you later this week! Hope you are having a wonderful week. Make sure you take a minute to create. It is a great release from the hustle bustle of every day life!

Love is in the air

This weekend I got the chance to hang out with my friend Paula Bloom (http://prbloom.typepad.com/). You should really check out her blog she makes fantastic cards. We got together and had decided to create the post it note holder we saw at the inky antics booth a week or so ago. As you can see we had a lot of fun with the happy heart stamps. They are so cute. We used the gray paper from stampin up and the green dot is from the spring fling. We added some wild wasabi and some regal rose to set it off. We found the heart ribbon from her ribbon stash and boy does she have ribbon. We finished it off with some certainly celery ribbon. We put a pink post it note pack inside.

Next I got the idea to make the coaster photo holder. She has made these before but I hadn't played around with the coasters. I love the way this turned out!!! I used the kitchen sink stamps for the front to spell out love. The paper is a scrap that we found. It was fresh and funky. Inside we used an old collection from stampin up some cute hearts and then we stamped the always and forever. We added the dewdrops from Kitchen sink stamps to give it dimension and the heart with a small piece of twine. The picture on the right is secured by a heart paper clip which makes it perfect and the photo corner punch. I love the way this turned out. I gave it to my husband and he really liked it.

I visited Scrapping bunnies in McKinney this weekend. She has a lot of new valentines and Easter stuff in. I purchased some really cute papers and some card stock stickers. I am going to make a heart album. Hopefully I will get to it in the next week or so.

Have you seen the new Riley Moose stamps from Hannah Stamps? http://www.kreationsbykrissy.typepad.com/

http://freckledfun.blogspot.com/

These stamps will be coming at us on February 1st. I have a feeling they are going to sell out quick so I plan on getting online as soon as they are available like I am sure most of you are.

Well not much else going on here...I have some work to do tonight so I won't get to play. (wish I could stamp instead of work but I guess I'll have to wait for retirement)

Hope you have a great week!

I'd Rather be Stamping

I have just been sitting here looking at blogs for the past 15 minutes instead of studying like i should be. I just made the decision to study for the CPA again. I have to pass it by the end of the year to be grandfathered under the old requirements. If I don't pass by the end of the year I have to get my Masters degree to be eligible to take the exam. I figure I just need to bite the bullet and get it done. That does mean I will have a lot less time for the things I enjoy doing. But I will try and get a creative release each week to keep me sane. I have been noticing that there are a lot of new stamps out there. Take a look at Hannah Stamps for their "hey there cupcake" set. It is so cute. I love it. Unfortunately, everyone else does too! It is sold out till Feb. 1st. I also noticed that the friendship collection came out at elzybells stamps. You have to take a look at it!!! I am so tempted to order something but I probably better hold off!

Fresh and Funky for Valentines day!

It has been a long week and it is only Tuesday (go figure). I did have a nice surprise waiting for me when I got home today...my Stampin up order had arrived. I had forgotten some of the cool things I bought to try out so I can't wait to play. I bought the Happy Heart bundle, the Berry Bliss paper (2 packs) brown and pink is one of my favorite color combos, the 6X6 pad from the hostess sets, the neutral markers (which I have really been needing), the boho blossoms punch, a roll of the new striped ribbon, and the Lovely Labels which I have had my eye on since the new catalog came out.

I wish I could play today but I am exhausted. I am back on the workout plan and did the advanced Tae bo workout. I couldn't do everything in the hour long workout but did the majority. It is a start. Hopefully I am not in too much pain tomorrow. Tomorrow night I am going to my friend Kim's house so we can make some sample cards. I can't wait to get some creative time in!

I made these cards on Sunday night but was pretty impressed with the way they turned out! I have been trying to find an excuse to use these paper flowers and thought this was the perfect way. I spent quite a bit of time trying to create a good layout without having to copy and idea. Sometimes that is just easier but I think I made it work. Let me know what you think! For the second card I used a heart doily a cut out some of the designs and then placed a jewel sticker in the center. I used the baroque motif background stamp. This stamp is awesome and can be used to add something to your card when you don't know what else to do. The ribbon I bought this past weekend when shopping at my LSS. I really like the color and the print on the ribbon. I should have bought more. Oh well!

Well hope everyone is having a great week so far! Let me know what you have planned for your next creative project. I love to hear peoples ideas...it always gets me inspired!

2nd post for today...I am on a roll...

I just finished making a card with my new inky antics stamps that I purchased yesterday! Yeah me! I bought something and actually used it! Anyway, I tried the gamasol technique from Inky Antics and really liked it. The coloring looks like watercolor paint once you are done. With this card, I looked for some scraps of paper for the background so I can't remember who made the plaid. I really like the way this turned out. I used some small buttons b/c I couldn't find a ribbon that would work with this....Let me know what you think!

More cool things to play with

Well this weekend has been very eventful! Yesterday I went to the Mesquite Scrap and Stamp show. Paula Bloom and I went with our husbands. I think we had a pretty good time. Our husbands ate nachos and let us shop. Thats the way it should be. We ran into Jen Del Muro (http://www.iheart2stamp.com/) and Susan (www.susiestampalot.blogspot.com). It was really neat to meet these ladies as I read their blogs all the time! They are so creative. While we were there we hung out at the Inky Antics stand and bought a few things. I bought a cute cowgirl stamp and a "howdy" stamp. I thought it would be cute for a set of notecards. Wish I had some of the western style paper from Stampin up... I also bought the gamasol liquid and pencils that you use to color in your inked images. See Inky Antics for more on this. I will tell you how I like it. I am about to try it out. The images looked fantastic when there rep colored them in so we will see if I can do it half as good. Oh yeah and I bought the dewdrops that you may have seen on kitchensinkstamps.com. I am really looking forward to trying these out. After the stamp show yesterday, I went to Michaels to look for the heart scalloped punch by Martha Stewart. I have pretty much gone to every Michael's in the local vicinity looking for it. I finally found it~! However once I tried it out, I found it is very difficult to get your image to punch all the way through. I will have to try and get it to work better. Maybe with cutting some tin foil it will sharpen.

Today, I went to recollections! They are down to their last 13 days and they have officially shut down the crop room. It is just so depressing to go into one after another scrap book store and see them shut down. I really wish I had the funds to open a replica. It would be so busy. I think all the scrapbookers in the local area are in full fledged depression. I did buy a few things while I was at Recollections but mostly everything was picked through. I got some fantastic ribbon at .30-.50 cents a yard. (see picture). I also went to Target and got their valentine paper pack and matching envelopes. I am going to make something very cute with it. Tune in to see.....

Well I am off to play....

I'll try and post some cards tonight!

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!