A New Little Someone *SFYTT*

I need to make this quick...I hear little baby Rowan scratching in his crib. He loves to roll onto his tummy and scratch the sheets. Speaking of babies; I haven't made a baby card in a while and so I thought I would make one and add it to my stash. I am throwing a baby shower for one of my friends in the neighborhood in September, so maybe I will save this for her. Actually, the reason why I ended up making a baby card is because of the paper. I was digging through my stash to get some inspiration and came across this "Nana's Nursery" paper that I have had for a few years. It is made by DCWV and you can still probably find it at Hobby Lobby or Robert's if you are interested. I just love it!


I haven't used Baby Button Bits in a while and I thought that this flower image would work perfectly with the papers. I stamped it in Smokey Shadow ink rather than black to give it a softer look. I really like how it turned out. I colored it with a combination of Copic and Prismacolor markers. I did a bit of stitching, added some scallops detailed with "Liquid Pearls". I have had the "Liquid Pearls" for years, but haven't used it much because I don't like how the dollops come out slightly pointy. If anyone has a trick to get them to be rounder, I would love to hear it! Thanks in advance!

I am not thrilled with the buttons on the side, but nothing else seemed to be working. All in all I think it is a sweet little baby card. I think Jen's sketch is fabulous and I hope you all get a chance to play. I actually did some stamping this week, but never got anything uploaded. I will get them uploaded soon!

Tomorrow is my birthday, but I am not exactly looking forward to it since I am turning a really depressing age. That particular number just seems really old for some reason. The number after that number doesn't seem as old. Isn't that funny? So maybe I will enjoy next year's birthday a little more! LOL!

You won't want to miss the other gal's creations!
CAROLE (Yay!)


Jen Del Muro and July Guest Designer
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer
Leigh O' Brien,
Jenn Diercks,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins
Thanks for fluttering by!

You're a Peach! *SFYTT*

Last night we went over to the neighbors for a barbeque and games. We had a lot of fun and it was good to socialize and let the kids play with their friends. Of course a thank you card is in order to send to the hostess. As I was rummaging through my retired sets, deciding which ones to purge, I came across one of my *All-time* favorites; Farm Fresh. I am quite certain that I will *never* get rid of this one. I don't use it often, but sometimes it is just the ticket, like today

Before I forget and begin rambling on like usual, this week's sponsor is Amber Ink. You can find out what kind of giveaway Jen is doing on her blog (link at the bottom). Amber is also offering a 10% discount(SFYTT&AmberInkC3P1GA) for all of the SFYTT participants

I decided to use some of the leftover scraps from my America Banner for today's card. I thought they seemed country and perfect for the feel I was trying to achieve. I was also thrilled that I had black thread in my sewing machine. It worked out perfectly. I guess it pays to sew on scout badges for sweet nephews.

My image was stamped onto Vintage Cream Cardstock, pieced with some Kraft cardstock and then colored using copic and prismacolor markers. I then cut the image out and mounted it onto the oval. I decided to flip the sketch to accomodate my image. My go-to embellishment would have been two buttons for the circles on the top and bottom, but I decided to go for a more "packagey" look (yes, that's a real word...LOL!) and add some circles, eyelets and tie some twine. I thought it seemed fitting for the style of the card. I had fun with this card, although there isn't much stamping. You won't want to miss the other gals creations. Oh...by the way...I have some fantastic news.........(drum roll, please)

CAROLE IS BACK!!!! I know...I am excited, too!

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Jen Del Muro and July Guest Designer
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer -on vacation
Leigh O' Brien,
Jenn Diercks,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock-out with a new baby...congrats!
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins

Stamp Sale!!!!!

It is that time again; time to get things cleaned and organized. I have quite a few Stampin' Up! sets that I am selling. If you are interested in purchasing any stamp sets, please email me at kellyrory1@msn.com . All payments need to be made through Pay-Pal. I will mail the stamps using flat rate envelopes and boxes, which are around $4.95. If you purchase a large amount and they require a large box, I will use the box that is around $8.95. All purchases will be arranged by a first come first serve basis. If the sale doesn't go through, then the opportunity to purchase will go to the next in line. I will mail out the stamps as soon as I get the receipt from Pay-Pal. Thanks! P.S. the ones that have stained rubber can most likely be cleaned with Staz-On cleaner.
ETA: When emailing me with the stamp choices you would like, please include the email address that you would like the Pay-Pay request to go to! Thanks!
Roses in Winter- $16.00 (one stained block)
Riveting- $7.00(a few with stained rubber)
Bella's Bloom- $6.00 (one stained image)
Wow Flowers-$6.00 (two stained images)
Living Large-$12.00 (stained rubber)
Garden Silhouettes-$12.00 Sold
Oh, So Lovely-$7.00 (one stained image and block)
Live Like You Mean It-$9.00
Botanical Blooms-$5.00 (lightly stained rubber)
Close as a Memory-$10.00 (stained wood and rubber, but very loved)
Wanted-$11.50 (stained wood and rubber on a few)
Only Ovals-$11.50 (stained wood and rubber on a few)
Bird on a Branch-$9.00 (lightly stained rubber on two images) Sold
Embrace Life-$12.50 (stained rubber and wood on a few)
Bud Basics-$5.00 (stained rubber and images)
So Many Scallops-$5.00 (New Unmounted)
All in a Row-$10.00 ( very stained, but very loved) I actually can't believe I am parting with this!
Friendship Blooms- $5.00 (New Unmounted)
Labelicious- $10.00 (two lightly stained blocks)
Print Pattern BG-$9.00 (lightly stained block and partial image)
By Definition BG-$9.00
Baroque BG- $9.00 (slightly stained rubber)
Dotted BG-$9.00 (stained rubber and block)
Festive Favorites- $10.00 (one image partially stained)
Summer by the Sea- $16.00 (stained rubber)
Weathered BG-$9.00 9stained rubber and block) Sold
Twill BG-$9.00 (stained rubber)
Canvas BG-$9.00 (very stained and very loved)
Think Big-$7.00 ( a few stained blocks and rubber)
Office Accoutrement- $13.00 (stained blocks and rubber)

Down by the Sea *SFYTT*

This week Jen and the rest of the SFYTT gals have teamed up with The Wildflower Patch as this week's sponsor. I was super excited to get some of their fun digital images. This was the first time that I have ever used digital images, but it was easy (once I figured out what I was doing)! I chose to use this sweetie for this week's sketch. Unfortunately, I used the same flesh color that I used on my last project, which I forgot was on Kraft and gave little miss Violet a bit of a sunburn! Since I had printed it out and didn't want to reprint it, she is just going to have to be extra sunkissed! LOL!
The feel of the card really came about by what I had laying out on my desk; striped ribbon and red button from my America banner, Kraft cardstock and pattern paper from my teacher tags. I was thinking that red rick-rack would be just the ticket for this card, but as I was digging through my stash, I came across the printed twill that I thought was perfect.

The "sand" strip at the bottom was simply cut using Kraft cardstock and then splattered using my color spritzer tool and a brown marker.

The sentiment was computer generated, since I didn't have a sentiment with the digi-image. I thought it worked nicely and it was super easy to do. My sewing machine decided to try and eat my card, but I won this time! So there, Bernina! The finishing touch were a few seashells from my stash. I was thrilled to find the reddish-striped one that was a perfect fit for the feel of my card.

I had fun with this super cute image. I am coming to realize that I really need some more shades of the colors that I already own so that I can get a little bit more depth and dimension with my coloring.
You won't want to miss the other designers!
Jen Del Muro and July Guest Designer
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer
Leigh O' Brien,
Jenn Diercks,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins


Today is Emma's birthday bash at Boondocks. She has invited all of her friends and it should be a really fun time! I can't believe how fast she is growing! I Love her to pieces! Thanks for fluttering by!

You make the Grade

Tomorrow is Emma's last day of summer school. There is one more session, but she can't attend since she starts school on Tuesday. I wish she could just go there forever. I procrastinated as usual, so I had to hurry and put together the thank you gifts for her sweet teachers. I decided to get them each a giant candy bar, wrap it in DSP and add a tag using one of my new stamps from My Favorite Things. I felt so bad about my last post; not being able to find that stamp, so I will directly link this one. I have fallen in love with the Pure Innocence line from MFT! They are so cute!
I stamped the image onto Kraft cardstock and colored it with copic and prismacolor markers. Her little skirt is paper pieced using the same DSP that I wrapped the candy bars with. I would have loved to have given her some cute tights, but the mere thought of making her wear tights in July seemed like cruel and unusual punishment. The other day, Emma asked if she had to wear tights with her skirt. I had to laugh! Of course not!

This project was easy-peasy, Lemon-Squeezy! Thanks for fluttering by!

{Rawr} means I love you!

ETA: I noticed that a few of you couldn't find this set on the MFT website...funny thing is, I can't either. I promise I bought it there! LOL! Anyway...if anyone know which section it is under, let me know! Thanks!

I have absolutely fallen in love with this adorable set from My Favorite Things. I am lucky enough to be on the SFYTT team with a few of the MFT design team members. Their darling cards using this set have been pure eye candy as well as a huge temptation! LOL! I decided to take the plunge and get it for myself. I used last week's SFYTT sketch for my layout.

My sister bought Rowan some darling shoes and shirt and brought them over on the fourth of July. I wanted to send her a sweet little *thank you* to let her know how much we appreciate all she does for us. I thought this little guy would melt her heart, especially imagining a nephew peeking his head from underneath the dino suit. I think the sentiment is equally heart-melting.

Since "Rawr" means I love you, I thought it only fitting to stamp it out several times on one of the side panels. I stamped this image across the top and bottom side panels for some added detail and interest. The card was beginning to feel quite predictable, especially since I had just made a card using this same layout, so I decided to add some *unexpected* stitches across the front. Normally, I probably would have stitched along the seam lines, but decided to randomly place them and not have them span the entire length of the panel.

Unfortunately, I am completely out of button twine, so the buttons lay naked. Eeek! Hopefully they don't mind too much! I guess a purchase from PTI is in order. Any excuse is a good excuse in my book.

Emma has been attending summer school with a true blessing for a teacher. This is her last week, so I need to get a little something put together for her. I truly felt my prayers had been answered when I found out that her teacher is a dyslexia expert. I asked her if there was any way that she could test Emma or find out somehow. She said, "Do you have five minutes?" Of course I had five minutes and the teacher tested Emma right then and there. The results were that she does not have dyslexia. What a huge sigh of relief!!! She has been doing well at school and really enjoys her time there. I really wish that her summer school teacher could be her teacher always. It isn't at our school, but I would be willing to drive the 15 minutes to get her there. Unfortunately, she isn't a regular teacher, either. She did tell me some wonderful words of wisdom,"The more you make things an issue, the more they will become so!" I really needed to hear that. Anyway, what I was trying to say, was that I will be putting together something for her that I will share here when I get done.

Happy Fishy Wishes *SFYTT*

Last week, Amy made the most adorable card using this stamp set called "Happy Days Mermaid". I fell in love...it was complete perfection! Even more exciting was that I own that stamp set. This week, we have teamed up with Your Next Stamp to bring you some fun samples using Jen's amazing SFYTT! It was perfect for the images that I wanted to use.

I couldn't get all of the amazing, perfect details that Amy had used out of my mind, and I didn't want to copy, but there were a few things that I just had to add; bubble buttons and the curvy sentiment. Thanks, Amy! I was thrilled to find in my stash that I had some *very* bubble-esqe buttons that were the perfect addition.

I started out by picking my papers. There is nothing more frustrating than coloring your image only to find out that you have nothing to match. I thought that these papers from My Mind's Eye would work nicely. I decided to make my own *glitter* paper by adding some crystal stickles. I chose to only add glitter to the light pink and blue.

The focal image square was stamped using the bubble image from the set and then I added some crystal stickles to each bubble. The mermaid was stamped, cut and then colored using copic and prismacolor markers. Since she is swimming pretty, I thought that some crystal effects in her hair and on her cheeks would be a nice addition. Her fin is covered with clear micro-beads to give it a scaley look. Everything else is pretty straightforward. I really did have a lot of fun with this one. Emma has already asked me if this could be her birthday card...isn't that cute?

I almost used this stamp set, because it is so darn cute. I had been watching "The Hudsucker Proxy", which really got me in the mood to use the Hula Hoop set, but I just couldn't resist Miss Mermaid! I can't wait to see what the rest of the team has been up to and I am sure you can't either, so without further adieu (sp?) .............

Jen Del Muro and July Guest Designer
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer
Leigh O' Brien,
Jenn Diercks,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins

I am finally going to see "Eclipse" tonight! Can you believe it has taken me so long to see it? With the other two movies I saw it opening night~ I guess that is what happens when you have a baby! I remember at "New Moon", I was getting very pregnant and it seemed like forever until he would be born and now look at us! Time certainly flies! Thanks for fluttering by!

America Banner

Back in April, I picked out some papers from Graphic 45 that I knew would make the perfect 4th of July banner. I didn't want anything that was *specifically* patriotic, but more within the color families that I needed and patterns that I thought would work nicely. You would have thought that since I purchased them so far in advance, I would have had it ready and waiting to hang. No...that isn't the case. I finally finished it yesterday. Better late than never, I always say! I got it hung and put out some patriotic decorations on my bench in my entry way. In Utah, we celebrate the 24th of July as well since that is the day the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. We use Red, White and Blue to celebrate as well, so it will all work.

I used the same formula that I use for most of my banners, eliminating some of the extra details since I was pressed for time. Maybe throughout the month I will work on some details and add them here and there. The flags are *food picks* that I have had since Emma's first birthday. I simply added some distress ink and called it good.

I will be back tomorrow with a new SFYTT!!!

Thanks for fluttering by!

*Game Time*

I think we have all recovered from the holiday...finally! I felt really bad missing out on Saturday's SFYTT, but I was way too busy. My son went to his friend's birthday party on Saturday. He had just gotten a new "X Box 360" so we decided to get him a "Game Stop" gift card for his present. Of course I had to *go*with the theme. I had it in my mind that I wanted to make a box or something to mimic the "X Box".

We don't own an "X Box" so I went to the website and found some pictures. I decided to keep things simple and make a gift card holder similar to the controller. It actually was pretty fun to make and find different things to tie in the birthday and the game controller. I also thought it was pretty fun that he is turning ten and *X* is the roman numeral 10. Yes...I am a dork!

For the colored buttons, I used a 1/2 inch circle punch and stamped one letter on each circle to spell his name. For the two bottom buttons, I stamped his age~10. I added some crystal effects on these to give it a more realistic feeling. I printed out a small logo and added that to the top and added some crystal effects to that as well. The finishing touch was the birthday sentiment at the bottom and the circle sentiment on the side. Of course it wouldn't be complete without a few embellishments, so I took some design liberties and added some silver adhesive stickers here and there.

His mom called me the other day and told me how much he liked it and that he wanted to keep it. That always makes you feel good...especially with a ten year old boy. I am hoping to find some creative time this week. I have a few projects that I really want to get done. We only have two more weeks left of summer vacation! I don't think I am ready to send the kids back!!!!! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. I thought I would share a sweet little photo of Rowan. I have really dropped the ball with taking his weekly photographs. He is having a weekly birthday today, so perhaps I will get the camera out.