A few of my {favorite} things...

Well it isn't any secret that banners are one of my favorite things! The other day I was visiting Amy's Blog and came across this post. I will admit that I was intrigued. I went straight to work creating a winter banner that would incoporate many of the lyrics from the song. I have been a huge "Sound of Music" fan for most of my life. My sister and I would watch it over and over and over when we were young and we would sing the songs on long car trips. I'm sorry, Mom! I only know now how easily ones nerves can be shot when driving with noisy children. Anway, the point I was trying to make is how dear to my heart this song is.

I wanted to incorporate the lyrics onto the banner, so at the top of each panel I printed out a part of the song and in most cases decorated it accordingly. It was fun digging through my stash of buttons and things to find things that would be fitting. These are the types of projects that I love using things that I had previously been hoarding because I will use the banner again and again. This will actually be perfect in my studio since the paper matches the curtains perfectly as you can see in the photos.

I have come way more than full circle with my banners. I now have at least one for each season/ holiday and in some cases, more than one. I just can't stop!

My daughter went to her friend's birthday party in October and came home with a sack full of these little tickets. I asked her if I could have them and she was more than willing to give them to me. I knew that I could re-purpose them in my crafts. She was thrilled to see them show up here!

Needless to say, I had a lot of fun putting this together! I am a little late for the challenge that MFT put out, but I am glad that I was inspired! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. My blog candy will close at 12:oo a.m MST on Thanksgiving. Feel free to leave comments until then. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments.

Blizzard Blog Candy!!!

What is blizzard blog candy you ask? Well...let me tell you. The blizzard is upon us here in Utah! It has been freezing cold and windy all day and now the snow has come; fast and furious! I am stuck here at home, my camera won't upload the photos I took of my project I have been working on so what could be better than some blog candy? Now...of course I can't actually photograph what is up for grabs, because let's face it, what would be the point if I can't get them off of my camera? LOL! Let's just say some fun stamping goodies could be yours if luck is with you. I will randomly pick a number and whichever comment coincides with that number will be the winner! yay! So let's get going! Simply tell me which stamp set you would absolutely HAVE to have if you were stuck home in a blizzard and only had one to use! Easy Peasy! I have only one stipulation; I will only ship to the U.S. Sorry! Thanks for fluttering by!

Cute and Cuddly *SFYTT*

Happy Saturday everyone! I am so glad to be back participating in this week's SFYTT! I took a little break; a needed break, but it made me realize how much I enjoy each week's new sketch. Jen is absolutely amazing and I feel like some of my best work has come from using her great sketches. So thanks Jen!
I have been in baby mode lately and I needed one more card for a cute gal in the neighborhood who just had her new baby boy. I have had her gift for a while now, so it is about time I got around to the card! Since I only used one design of pattern paper{and you all KNOW how much I love pattern paper}, I decided to create my own by using background stamps & my cuttlebug to add some texture.

For as much as I love Baby Button Bits, I have never used the teddy bear image. I have tried, but I don't think it has ever actually made it onto a card. I decided to paper piece him rather than use markers to color him. Because the image shows some stitching lines, I thought I would bring in some real stitching and sew along the edges of the focal piece as well as some zig zag stitching at the bottom.

The sketch called for a straight layer at the bottom, but I liked the idea of using the sentiment as a tag instead. The sentiment is also from Baby Button Bits. I am glad I am back this week using this fabulous sketch. I hope you all have a chance to play along. Let's see what the other gals have been up to:

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

Count Your Blessings!

I needed to make a few "Thinking of You" cards to send out this week, so I decided to head over to the Mojo Monday Blog to see this week's sketch. I have to make the most of my time when Rowan is napping, so I decided to take the hard part out and start with a sketch. I have been so spoiled with all of Jen's SFYTT, I get lazy these days. I also decided to make two identical cards to really simplify things.

The layout was simple and perfect for what I needed. I had already laid out some paper and stamps the other day when I thought I might have time to stamp, but that didn't happen. I got to work right away and of course, the coloring took most of the time. I colored the images using Copic markers. I took all of my color cues from the paper that I used, which is from an older K & Co. slab that I love.

The buttons, stamps and twine are all from Papertrey Ink as well as the cream cardstock. I used my nestabilities to cut and emboss the circle. All of the edges were sponged using Vintage Photo distress Ink by Ranger. The card was feeling a little naked to me, so I added some scallops to the top and bottom of the tilted layer.

Now all I have to do is get them address and mailed, which for these will require a trip to the postoffice so they can be hand-cancelled since they have buttons. I also need to take poor little Emma to the dentist today to have a "pulpectomy" or something like that. It basically is a child's root canal. Poor thing. I don't know how you go from no cavities to that. OH well......

She actually loves the dentist and hopefully things will go well so that it stays that way. She is awfully excited to get "laughing gas" which she hasn't had before. Speaking of my kids, I took some more photos of all of them on Saturday. The leaves were just too pretty to not take advantage of.

Perfect timing....Rowan just woke up from his nap and I need to get him changed and fed so that we can make the appointment. Thanks for fluttering by!

Autumn Blessings

Autumn is one of my absolute favorite seasons! I love the crisp air, the beautiful leaves; everything!! I realized that I haven't really made many seasonal cards lately, so I decided to make a card inpspired by some photos that I took of Rowan on Friday. I really like the unexpected color combination as well.

I started out by using "Botanicals" from SU! and the two sentiments are from this set. Botanicals is one of my favorite sets for so many reason. I chose to make one of the smaller stamps the focal point. Because it is so small, I decided to use it twice to give it a bigger impact. They are colored with copic and prismacolor markers. I was really thrilled to find a brown button that said the word "somewhere" on it because it reminded me of the song that says "somewhere...thinking of you". My mind has drawn a blank as to which exact song it is, but I keep singing that part in my mind.

The rest is pretty straightforward, but I hope you are all enjoying this time of year as much as I am. Before I go, I must share with you my muse! Isn't he the best kind of inspiration! He is so wonderful and yummy and juicy and yes....I could just eat him up! He is such a delight! Can you believe that he will be ten months old on the 20th? Time has a way of slipping by so quickly! I am trying to cherish every minute of him!

Thanks for fluttering by!

Sweet Little One SFYTT

I am slowly but surely catching up on all of the SFYTT that I have missed. This one is actually from October 30th, which I think I said the last one that I posted was from! Boy, was I behind! I had mentioned yesterday that I would probably be making a new baby card to match the other sewing projects that I have been working on and sure enough, I did! I just couldn't resist! When you have stamps as perfect as these, it is a must! I thought I was okay not having ALL of the dies to match this set, but after working with it yesterday, I have come to realize that I DO!!! LOL! I only have the #1 set, but I will be asking for the others for Christmas! I photographed the card on top of the bib, so that you could see my inspiration!

I combined quite a few sets for this card as well as a few Cuttlebug embossing folders. I started out by using the Polka Dot Parade paper and all of the coordinating cardstock. I really love the blue in the fabric, so I added that into the card design using ribbon and buttons. I followed the sketch to a cetain degree, but went ahead adding a few things here and there that weren't included on the original sketch. For the focal image I used Everyday Treats and the coordinating die. I also used one of the flower sets from Beautiful Blooms II. I included the link at the beginning of my post.

The sentiment is from "Holidays and Wishes" and circle image is from "Circle of Friendship" which are both reitred SU! sets. I am having fun using some of my older SU! sets that I had forgotten about. I actually donated a huge box of stamps to the local thrift store that I have had out in the garage. I hope that others are enjoying them now, too. I did end up by pulling a few out before I took them. They were ones that I had previously tried to sell at our garage sale a few years ago. I am so glad no one else bought them.

I added some of the same ric-rac that I used on the quilt to really tie things together. I am much more pleased with this card, than the one I made the other day. It will be the perfect finishing touch to all of the projects I have been working on. You can check them out here. Thanks for fluttering by!

Autumn Banner for a Birthday!

For as much as I like making banners, I have never made one as a gift until now. I decided to make my Mom an Autumn banner for her birthday. When I made this card, I mentioned that I used the paper for another project. I couldn't share the project until I gave the banner to my mom since she visits my blog regularly! HI MOM!!!! Anyway, we finally had her birthday party last Saturday. We used her fire pit that we had borrowed for the Halloween party and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. We waited until it got dark and then my husband told scarey stories. It was a fun night! Anway...I can finally share the banner here.


I didn't reinvent the wheel, but rather used the same elements that I used on the one I made myself last year, which you can see here. I really love this paper from Graphic 45. They never fail to impress. All of their designs work nicely when I am going for a vintage look.

The letters are shimmer chipboard letters from Making Memories and I have used different colors on many of my banners. It was hard to get a good photo of the banner straight on, because the light wasn't the best at the time and I was in a hurry.

As I mentioned in my last post, I wanted to create some handmade items for my friend who is adopting a baby girl.

I went to the sewing store on Tuesday and came home with some beautiful fabric. Here is a little glimpse into what I have been working on. You can see the finished project here.

I mentioned in my post on Thimbles and Thread that when my creative well runs dry, it is always helpful for me to switch mediums. It definitely did the trick; not only do I want to keep sewing, but it made me want to make a new card to match the quilt. Don't be surprised if a new baby card shows up in the next little bit!