Masculine Thanks

I have had a few requests to show some masculine cards on my blog. I needed to make some Thank You cards for my husband to send out for Birthday and Father's Day. I have a few more that I need to make so I will share them as I make them. I don't have many masculine sets so I decided to use "Lovely as a Tree" which I am surprised and delighted didn't make it on the retired stamp set list. I love this set. I have never used the oak leaf and acorn image, so I decided to use it repeatedly for the background. I stamped the focal image in Timber Brown StazOn and watercolored it with my aquapainter and re-inkers. I also decided to add a bit of hodgepodge hardware since it is retiring and I have quite a bit that I have stored away! Also, when I was rearranging and moving my soon to be retired stamp sets, I discovered my *hoard* of In-Color paper from last year so I decided to use True Thyme on this card. It is still one of my favorite greens and I am leaving the paper out, so that I will actually use it. I don't mind that they are retired because they are still gorgeous colors. Thanks for fluttering by!

Stamps: Fundamental Phrases, Lovely as a Tree

Ink: True Thyme, Timber Brown StazOn, Close to Cocoa, White

Paper: Naturals Ivory, True Thyme, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Aged Copper HodgePodge Hardware, Dimensionals, Sponges * can you believe there isn't any ribbon?* Paper Piercer and Mat Pack

Stud Muffin

Just a quick card today! I made this card for my 8 year old son for his great report card! No frills, simple and boyish! He really got a kick out of the *studmuffin* sentiment. All of the images are from "Celebration Sayings" from The Saltbox Studio. I also used my cuttlebug for the embossed background. I colored the image with copics and prismacolor markers.

I am still working on setting up my embellishment center, so I will share pics as soon as I am done. I can't wait to get it all organized. Things have been kindof crazy trying to get all of my soon to be retired SU! stamps out of my space, etc. That is why I haven't been sharing my * A closer look* installments. Are they helpful? I don't want to keep boring you with them if they aren't helpful for organization ideas. Leave a comment and let me know! Thanks for fluttering by!

Sahara Stems

We just finished my husband's birthday party and I am exhausted. Today was my son's last day of school as well. Can I just say how happy I am? Lazy Days! I can't wait to *not* have so many things to do. It is nice just to be a Mom and have fun with your kids and not worry about Homework, AR goals, etc.

I finished the gift set for my son's teacher at midnight last night and so I didn't take any pictures, but everything turned out really cute. I decided on a "strawberry" theme, since I had been making Jam. I gave her some scrumptious strawberry body butter, lip butter and soap from The Body Shop, a set of handmade cards, a notepad, pen, designer kleenex, and a jar of my yummy homemade strawberry jam and last but not least, a gift certificate to the local School Supply store. I packaged it all up in a woven purse with a cute *berry* gift tag.

So...since I don't have anything new to share, I will share a card I made quite a while ago but haven't posted on my blog. The lighting isn't very good, but the card turned out nice.

I am hoping to get back stamping tomorrow! I have really missed it! Thanks for fluttering by!

A Very Berry Thursday!

I am up to my eye-balls in Strawberry Jam! I have been making it since yesterday. My final batch just came out of the water bath. I will be including a jar of it for my son's teacher for her end of year gift as well as some other *berry goodies*. I will post everything when I am done. So...with all my jam making, I haven't posted any creations for the last couple of days! I am sorry! I decided to post a card I made last week, but hadn't posted yet. The first time I saw this darling tree image from Papertrey Ink. it reminded me of some capris my daughter has with button apples on them. So...I decided to make a card using the same concept. It is simple and straightforward, but the buttons give it some interest. I also used my cuttlebug and my swiss dot embossing folder for some texture. Hopefully I will be posting more in the next few days. We are having a birthday party for my husband with my side of the family at my house tomorrow night, so I have lots to do! Thanks for fluttering by!

Cherish

I haven't used Baroque Motifs in a while and I thought that it worked well for today's color challenge over at SCS (Wild Wasabi, Taken with Teal, White). It seems like all of my cards made with this set look the same, so I tried to mix it up a bit. Instead of using the whole flourish image, I just used it on the side for the focal image. I stamped the small flowers off once, for a lighter color. I wanted the word *cherish* and the larger flower to stand out. I added a rhinestone brad to the center of the flower and some crystal stickles to the center of the smaller flowers. I used a lot of dimensionals on this card, but really, when don't I use a lot? LOL! I will be posting another design today using some Saltbox stuff so stay tuned.

I promised the girls I would let them swim in the little pool today and it takes a couple of hours to fill up! I guess I better get it up and started before the day gets away from me. This is the last day that I will be watching my son's teacher's daughter until school starts, so my daughter is going to be sad. I guess things will change at the end of the week when my son *finally*gets out of school. Then they will have each other to play with and we will be doing fun stuff. Oh ,the joys of summer! It really doesn't last long when you think about it. Hopefully, we can do something fun every day! I always love those Country Time commercials about summer. It makes me want to savor and enjoy every day! Thanks for fluttering by!

More Roses!

I know, I know! You are probably saying to yourself, "Haven't I seen this card before?" The answer is no...not exactly, but similar. This is the card I made for my son's Teacher's Birthday. I used the same layout that I used before, but changed the colors and a few design elements. I added some diamond stickles, but they don't show in the photo. I promise that this will be the last of the cards with this same image, layout, etc. I just really enjoy coloring those roses, especially since this time of year all of the roses are in full bloom! It inspires me!

On another note, I recorded "Little Women" on my DVR this weekend{I heart Little Women} and it has inspired me to make some fun primitive creations using my stamps from The Saltbox Studio. We are inbetween releases right now, so I have some time to use some of my favorites, so stay tuned this week. I also am waiting *patiently* for my stamps from Tweety Jill! I can't wait to share some creations with the great images that she offers!

Supplies:

Gentler Times, Floral BG, En Francais, Fundamental Phrases

Cardstock: White, Almost Amethyst, So Saffron

Ink: So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Black

Accessories: Ribbon, Corsage Pin, Pretties Kit, Oval Punch, Vintage Brads, Dimensionals

Fairy Nice Birthday!

Tomorrow is the Birthday of one of my darling little girls that I teach at church. She will be turning 4! How fun! I wanted to make her a fun card with glitter, sparkles and lots of pink! I don't think a 4 year old girl can have too much glitter! LOL! I haven't gotten her present, yet, but it is always fun to shop for little girls! I think I will take *my* 4 year old to help pick something out! Speaking of my little Emma...when I was making this card today, she said," Are all of your little girl cards going to use that stamp?" I said, Yes...it is one of the only little girl sets that I own. I am hoping the new SU! catalog will have a fresh little girl set that I like. Well...my daughter is sitting at my side whining for me to help her clean her room! No friends until it is clean! Better go! Thanks for fluttering by!

Country Apples

For those of you who read my blog regulary know that I have been on a teacher thank you kick lately. Next week is the last week of school for my son, so I have been getting all of the last minute touches on everything; stuffing candy into bags, gift cards in holders, etc. Well, after it was all said and done, I remembered that I didn't make anything for the Secretarys. I was going to give them the purple bags I made that I showed in another post, but decided to give those to the Principal and Asst. Principal. So...I quickly put together 3 Secretary Thank Yous. I made them each a card to match their apple lotion. Quick and Easy! I am officially DONE! I used "Tart and Tangy" and the coordinating "Summer Picnic" Designer Series Paper from SU! for the cards. I also used my nestabilities to die-cut and emboss the squares for the focal image. Easy Peasy! Thanks for fluttering by!

Oh...and by the way...My stamping space is almost 100% clean! Yipee!!!!

Ric-Rac Dreams

Hello! I haven't been a very good blogger this week! I apologize! Sometimes all I want to do is stamp and create and other times I have no desire. This happens to be one of those weeks. Sorry! I think we all go through times like that. Anyway....today's WT challenge over at SCS was to use ric-rac. I made this card back in September or October, but never posted it or uploaded it anywhere because there isn't any stamping on it. It worked with today's challenge, so I thought I would share it. I really like the colors and that paper is simply scrumptious. It is by Bo Bunny Press. I think it is from the Carnival Line that came out last fall. I also have tons of these Making Memories stickers that I Love. I have every *theme* that they came out with. I used to use them on everything. LOL! It is pretty straight forward, especially since there isn't any stamping. I am hoping the stamping spirit will return soon. I think part of it is that I have a mess going on in my stamping space, so I know that it needs to be cleaned before I start creating.LOL! Thanks for fluttering by!

Speckled Eggs

I was excited to see today's colors for the color challenge because I knew exactly which image to use. I have made a card similar to this before, but still wanted to use these images with these colors. I used my square nestablilities to cut and emboss for the focal image. I stamped the egg basket from A Basket Celebration three times for a bigger impact. I like doing this with my smaller image stamps to give them more presence. Again, I used Deck The House Companion for the sentiment. They are my favorites. Can you tell? I also used my colorspritzer tool to add some speckles to the focal image. ( All stamps from The Saltbox Studio) Thanks for fluttering by!

Saying Goodbye!

Yesterday Stampin' Up! posted the list of retiring stamps! I have 36 sets on the list and Touch of Nature was one of them. I love this set. I made this card earlier this month, so I thought I would share it with you before the set is no longer available! I am sad to be losing so many sets that I won't be able to demonstrate with, but I do love cleaning things out and organizing, so I am trying to look on the bright side. I recently purchased the Making Memories embellishment center, so I am excited to get that installed and organized. I will share pictures as soon as I am finished.
This card also used Le Jardin Designer Series paper that I love. It is so pretty and fun to work with. I apologize for being a bad blogger this weekend. We had a yard sale, so I had spent the end of the week getting ready for that. The only stamps I had time to work with were the ones I was putting out in my yard sale. LOL! I did put together some quick Father's day cards yesterday, but they were so quick that I didn't have time to photograph or anything. I am super exhausted today and hope to get caught up on laundry, housework, etc. I am sure I will be playing in tomorrow's color challenge...so look for a new creation tomorrow! Thanks for fluttering by!

My Hero

Today I have another card for my Husband! This one will be from my daughter for Father's Day! Today's Ways to Use it Challenge over at SCS was to use a photo or something photo related. I needed to get some Father's Day cards made, so I combined the two. I am sure this card will melt his heart. This picture was taken last year after church one day. My daughter actually has her arm around her Dad's leg as they were sitting on the couch. She really loves him! She is the epitome of a *Daddy's Girl*! I see trouble coming when she is a teenager...she will get anything she wants, I am afraid! LOL!

I used Spring Sihouettes designer series paper because it matched her dress perfectly. I really like that she is wearing that dress also, because my mom made it for her. I am so sad that it is too small now! I also added an assortment of embellishments. Thanks for fluttering by!

For those of you who read my post yesterday, I am excited for this card, because after Father's Day, I will just tuck it into my Daughter's 6 by 6 scrapbook. The card measures 5 by 5, but it won't be hard to mat it onto another sheet of paper. This card will NOT see the trash! LOL!

Supplies: Father Knows Best (PTI)

Garden Green, Soft Sky and Spring silhouettes paper

Ink: Cotton white StazOn, Pallette Noir

Accessories: decorative brad by making memories, blossom by bazzill wings, glue dots, ribbon by offray, photo corner, photo turn from SU!, sewing machine and thread

Happy Birthday!

Today is my husband's birthday. I hadn't made a card yet, so I used today's sketch challenge over at SCS. It worked out perfectly for the set I wanted to use. I bought "Father Knows Best" from Papertrey Ink last month, but hadn't used it yet. I knew I would be using it for Father's Day, but since it includes a Happy Birthday sentiment, I decided to use it for my husband's birthday card as well. Now....I have a confession to make....and it is horrible. I never really put too much work into my husband's cards because I know they are going to be thrown away. It is really hard for me to spend a lot of time on them because I am the one who actually does the "throwing away". I know that countless numbers of my cards have been thrown away by the recipients. However, I never know about it! LOL! It is something different when I am the one doing it! So...with that being said...Here is his simple card! Thanks for fluttering by!

Supplies:

Father Knows Best by Papertrey, Ink.

Everyday blessings patter paper by Papertrey, Ink.

Spring Moss perfect match ink by Papertrey Ink, Always Artichoke by SU!

Chocolate Chip cardstock by SU!

White cardstock by Papertrey, Ink.

Spring Moss perfect match satin ribbon by Papertrey, Ink.

Vintage Brads by SU!, Word window Punch, dimensionals

*Release Day* Hen and Chicks

Today is the day! The Hen and Chicks set is available for purchase over at The Saltbox Studio. You can find a link on my side bar. Also, check out the other samples made by the other DT members. I am constantly inspired by their creativity. Mine is quick and simple today using the Color Challenge colors from SCS. I thought they worked well for these images. I have been wanting to use a little more pink with these images as well, so it was perfect. I only did a little bit of red, since I have used soooooo much lately with this Hen and her cute chicks!

My husband's birthday is tomorrow so I am off to buy wrapping paper, a few last minute gifts, etc. June is a whirlwind month in our little family. I love it, though. June is so beautiful and I love seeing all of the flowers and enjoying the weather before it becomes sweltering! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. Gina...if you're out there...please email me with your postal address so that I can get your blog candy mailed out!

June Roses

My roses are finally blooming! I took a picture of one that was almost opened. I love seeing that last stage when the center is still closed. It is amazing to me how many petals one rose actually has. I am still waiting for my purple roses to open...they smell absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait! I will post pictures of those when they finally decide to make an appearance. After seeing my roses, I decided to make a rose card. I used the retired "Gentler Times" from SU! for my images. I also paired it with "Floral" and "En Francais" for backgrounds. The sentiment is from "All Holidays". I tried to color the rose the same color as the one in my photo. I found this fabulous ribbon at Robert's Craft and I Love it so much because it looks like linen. It is great to work with and I love how it ties. I think it is from Offray. I added some Diamond Stickles to the flowers for a little sparkle.

I have just been hanging out today cleaning and doing laundry. You should see me as I am typing this....ummmmm, can you say scary? LOL! I thought I deserved a little stamping time, especially since I cleaned off my desk. Isn't it funny how a clean desk inspires me to make a new mess? Oh well...I had fun!!!! Thanks for fluttering by!

Supplies:

Gentler Times, En Francais, Floral, All Holidays

Ink: Paletter Noir, Blush Blossom, Groovy Guava, Regal Rose, Lavender Lace, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Soft Sky

Paper: Naturals White, White from Papertrey Ink., Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery

Accessories: White Ribbon from Offray, Gold Brads, Diamond Stickles, Buttons, Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Sponges

A Winner and a Card!!

Woohoo! We have a winner! Here is the winning post; #55

GINA said...
Way too cute. I love your site.I am glad that I meet up with you. You are one of my favorite blogs to visit. I can't wait for each post. Keep up the great work!!!
June 7, 2008 8:41 AM

Gina...email me at kellyrory1@msn.com and I will get your prizes mailed out ASAP!!!!

I had so much fun reading all of your comments! You are all so sweet and I appreciate the feedback. Your comments have inspired me to start some new things. I have some fun new *features* that I will be sharing with you. I know I promised I would tell you about them today, but I thought it would be more fun to surprise you as they come! Don't we all love surprises?

Also, I have a card for you. I was looking through some of my favorite sentiments from The Saltbox Studio and realized that I had never used the *homespun* sentiment. So... I thought a fun stitched card would be perfect. I ran across a delicious quilt from a magazine ad for Windham Fabrics and knew I could make one of the quilt squares into a card. I rummaged through my seriously old 81/2 by 11 pattern paper to find some pieces that looked like quilting fabric. It is times like this that I am soooo glad I hang on to all of my old stuff. The red gingham is from Keeping Memories Alive circa 1999 and the other two are from Deja Views probably around 2000 or so. I thought they worked perfectly for this quilt. I started out with my base hen image and from there it was easy to cut the rest of the pieces. Let me tell you...I wish making all quilt squares was as easy as a little tombow! LOL! I did sew around each square to give it a realistic look. I am *so* in the mood to sew! LOL! On that note; in March I started a blog called Thimbles and Thread to showcase some of my fabric art, but haven't posted anything until today. You can check it out here: www.thimblesandthread.blogspot.com/ I will be updating that blog regulary now as well.

I colored my image with a combo of copic and prismacolor markers. I added the sentiment from "Deck the House Companion" and a button. I didn't want to add anything else to disrupt the pattern of the quilt square. Thanks for fluttering by!

More Teacher Gifts

HI! Thank you to all of you who posted on the Blog Candy give-a-way! It is now officially closed and I will be announcing the winner with tomorrow's post! I had a lot of fun reading your comments and it made my day to know that I am doing a good job! Yesterday I began working on two more teacher gifts. I found these purses 75% off at Robert's Crafts and I knew I could do something with them. I decided to use papers from Making Memories Boho Collection because they matched the bag so well. I used "One of a Kind" and "Take Three" from SU! for all of the images. I know I have been using "One of a Kind" a ton lately, so I apologize if you are sick of seeing it!!LOL! I just really like working with it. I made a set of 4 cards (2 designs each) and packaged them in the clear stationery boxes from Papertrey, Ink. I have been using them for quite a few boxed sets lately and I love them. They really make card sets look professional. I also added a hand lotion, lip balm and I will be going to get some Jamba Juice gift cards to tuck in the inside pocket of the purse. Since I had already made soooo many cards, I decided to just include a simple 3 by 3 card with the Thank You sentiment from "In my thoughts". I don't think I will ever get rid of that set. I use it all the time.

Anyway...stay posted tomorrow for the announcement of the Blog Candy winner and some of the new "Features" my blog will have! Thanks for fluttering by!

*100th Post* Blog Candy

Hello! I just realized that this is my 100th post. I was going to post Blog Candy today anyway, but even more fitting for the 100th post!!!! I am always looking for ways to improve my blog and I hope that I am doing a good job! Today is your chance to let me know something you would like to see me do, something you like or any suggestions for my blog! Leave a comment on this post(until 12 noon Saturday) and you will be entered into the Blog Candy drawing!!!! I will post the winner on Sunday!

Also, I have some fun news to share with you and why not today with the giveaway. I have had the pleasure of working with Tweety Jill Publications for a few years now. I have my work published in four of her Idea Books. She has recently released her own stamp sets, a blog and a new design team. I am fortunate to be a new member of the team! Check it out here: http://tweetyjill.wordpress.com/design-team/ The rubber stamp images are gorgeous. I will be posting my creations soon! Thanks for sharing in my excitement!

I also played in the Ways To Use it Challenge over at SCS today. I combined it with Wednesday's sketch challenge. I had alot of fun with this card! Thanks for fluttering by and I can't wait to read your comments!!!!!

*Sneak Peek* Farm Chick

Here is another card using the upcoming release from The Saltbox Studio; "Hen and Chicks". I also used "A Basket Celebration" which works perfectly with this new set. I know I have said this a hundred times...but one of the things I like so much about The Saltbox Studio is how well all of the other images work so well together. I have had a lot of fun mixing images from other sets to create my samples. Again, the other DT girls have made some awesome creations. I love seeing what they will come up with. Today is rainy and wet, so I think it may be a perfect "shopping" day to pick up some Blog Candy! How does that sound? Look for it tomorrow, as well as a fun announcement!!! Thanks for fluttering by!

*Sneak Peek* Mother Hen

I have been so excited to share samples using the new "Hen and Chicks" set from The Saltbox Studio. This set will be released on June 10th. It is absolutely adorable! I love the little chicks in this set, especially the little girl chick with the bow in her hair! I can't wait to share more samples with you. I decided to use the colors from today's Color Challenge over at SCS. They work perfectly for these images. I , of course, had to add a little yellow for the 3 chicks! These images are so fun to work with and I Love the sayings that come with the set. Keep posted in the next few days for more samples with other sayings! Also, don't forget to check out the other DT members blogs for more fun samples! They are all so creative!!!!

Quick 3 by 3 Box Tutorial

Hello! I decided to add this tutorial today, since I am sure I will be wanting to share a new project with you tomorrow. I made a new box so that I could show you how easy this box is to create.

Step 1: Cut a 7 1/2 inch square and score at 2 inches on all sides.



Step 2: Cut sections out from each corner to create tabs. Don't you love how funky the color came out? LOL!

Step:3 Add paper if desired. Cut pieces of sticky strip and add where shown. I also used some Tombow on the rest of the section which can be seen in the next photo.

Step 4: Fold tabs in and secure. Repeat until all sides have been folded.

Step 5: For the lid, cut a 5 5/8 inch square and score at 1 inch on all sides. Repeat steps for base to finish the lid.

Decorate and embellish as desired!!

I think I will be filling this box with candy instead of 3 by 3 cards, although coordinating cards would be fun to make! I hope this tutorial will help you! I really enjoy making 3-D projects!!!

Stay posted for BLOG CANDY this week!

Carte Postale Card Set

Tomorrow night is Stamp Club and that means that I will be needing a door prize. Today's Inspiration Challenge over at SCS couldn't have been better. It was to make a set of 3 by 3 cards, envies, and box to hold them. I have been known to make a set and coordinating box a time or two! LOL! I have to laugh, because I am the queen of 3 by 3 boxes and cards! So...of course, I had to play along! I chose to use Le Jardin Designer Series paper and the coordinating set "Carte Postale". This is one of my all time fave sets! I had a lot of fun putting this together! Thanks for fluttering by!

ETA: I read a few of your comments wondering about the template. This is just a quick box that I made up today for the challenge. I will share a quick, simple tutorial tomorrow! Thanks!