Simple Gifts

It seems weird to be here on a Saturday and not be posting a card with a new SFYTT. Stay tuned for the first of the year with some fun changes. Today I will be sharing with you what I have been working on for the last few days. I decided a while ago that I wanted to make hair-bows for all of the girls in Emma's dance class. I found the cute ribbon at Hobby Lobby, which if you haven't been there lately, you might want to go and see all of the new ribbon they have that matches the fabric. Super cute! I kept things simple and added buttons to the centers with hot glue rather than making knots and wrapping it around and glueing, etc. It can get messy and time consuming and my fingers get burned! LOL!

The bows worked up quickly; much quicker than I thought they would. I wasn't sure about how many I needed to make. At Emma's last dance class I counted the girls and there was only ten including Emma. I asked Emma and she was certain that there were 12 girls. By the time I was done, I only had made 11 with the three spools of ribbon I had bought, so I kept my fingers crossed. In the end, I had two left over! One for Emma and one for her friend! I decided to give Emma's student teacher something different, since I thought she was a bit too old to be wearing a polka-dot bow!

I wanted something cute to package them up in, but not too time consuming. Girls that age will rip through the packaging without a care about how much time or effort was put into it. In the end, the bags took the most time. I really didn't want it to end up like that. It is always amazing to me that even when I simplify, things always take so much time. I thought they turned out cute, though.

I used some paper from The Paper Studio (found at Hobby Lobby) that I thought looked cute with the bows. I also used a stamp that my Mom got me a few years ago. It worked out nicely for the tag. I just added a little bit more detail to it. Each snowflake had the same color button on it as the bow inside. I didn't know if I would give them choices or not, so I needed a way of knowing which color was inside. In the end, Emma just randomly passed them out, which probably was best anyway so no one got their feelings hurt if they didn't get the color they wanted.

My husband was called away urgently Monday morning to Chicago, so I have been a single mom all week trying to get Christmas done, homework done as well as all of the other daily routine. I had to take half of Rockwell's basketball team to the Utah Jazz game on Monday with a baby in tow as well as Emma. Can you say stressed out? We had quite a few commitments this week which ended up needing to be cancelled. My stamping time was zero until I got around to getting this project done. He is home safely now and we are all enjoying Daddy time. Emma has her dance recital tonight. She looks adorable in her costume! I can't wait! Thanks for fluttering by!

Deck the Halls *SFYTT*

Happy Saturday, everyone! A lot has happened since last Saturday. I narrowed down a date for a baby shower, got the invitations put together, passed them out and had the baby shower at my house on Thursday! Can you say "impromtu"? LOL! I was so glad that it all worked out, though. The baby shower was for the sweet gal that I made this for. The adoption went through and she brought her precious bundle home on the train on Thanksgiving! She is just the cutest thing ever! I am so thrilled for her.
Needless to say, there hasn't been any stamping going on here! It was good to sit down and get another Christmas card made. If you don't remember, we are changing things up this month. We are to choose a sketch from the past and make something new. I chose a relatively newer sketch, which is one that I absolutely loved the first time around. You can check out my orginal card here. I thought it was kindof funny that both cards used Graphic 45 paper, both cards used Papertrey Ink dies and stamp sets

I used the ric rac border die and some true black felt to create the border at the top. I used the Stocking Prints stamp set and coordinating die for the focal images. It is nice to have one more card to add to the stash. In addition to the craziness of this week, I get to feed all of the Luncefords on Sunday! Wish me luck!

You won't want to miss the other designers!

Jen Del Muro
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer
Leigh O' Brien,
Jenn Diercks,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins P.S. This will be the last SFYTT for the year and coming up in January, there will be some changes so stay tuned! Happy Holidays and Thanks for fluttering by!

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A spot of Christmas Tea *SFYTT*

Things look a little different around here, huh? That's because they are! This week and next are the only weeks that we will be doing a SFYTT in December. We will be back in January with some fun changes! This week we all got to choose one of our faves from sketches past!

This morning, or should I say afternoon, has already been CRAZY!!!! We had our annual Christmas breakfast at church, which my husband signed me up to make some type of breakfast potatoes. I had decided to opt out this year since I had the baby and getting us anywhere at 9 a.m. is a struggle! Oh well...I am glad I helped out, especially since we were right on time! Afterwards, he insisted that we all head to the mall and get some Christmas shopping done. He is really into getting the lists checked off!!!! I am too, but I really wanted to get home and work on my card. I had put it off and then I got a call yesterday to see if I could take dinner in to a family from our church. Sure....why not? My family got fed better than they would have had I not been called. Needless to say, I am behind on my card making, but not on my Christmas shopping! LOL!
For this week's SFYTT, we were to use an old sketch and make something new! I thought that was a great idea. I randomly picked one, because they are all good! I knew that I could sit and decide for hours,and I didn't have hours. I knew that I wanted to make a Christmas card, but none of my Christmas sets were inspiring me. I was drawn to my beloved "Tea for Two" from PTI, so I decided to make a Christmas tea card. I used some old Basic Grey paper as well as the coordinating buttons. I liked how it turned out! If you would like to see my card from when the sketch was new, you can see it here.

Even though I own the coordinating die for the tea pot, I am strangely addicted to cutting the darn thing out. Call me crazy! I added a snowflake punch and button to the pot for some added interest. The rest is very straightforward. You won't want to miss the other designers and especially to see what sketches they picked! Isn't this fun?
You won't want to miss the other designers!
Jen Del Muro and Stephanie
Amy Rohl
Susan Liles
Amy Sheffer
Leigh O' Brien,
Jenn Diercks,
Amber Hight
Megan Lock
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins

Postcards from Target....hmmmmm

If you are ever lacking inspiration, a trip to Target will never fail to deliver. I headed out this afternoon to get some much needed Christmas shopping done. As I wandered up and down aisles, I came across a fun little display of "rustic" type Christmas decor. As much as I wanted to pick up one of each item to come home with me, I decided instead to use the inspiration for a card. The funny thing about this "rustic" decor (as they called it), was that it was more "Modern Rustic" than anything else.

The color scheme was taken directly from the display; the details were my own twist. I used "Everyday Treats" from PTI, including the coordinating die for the mat for the focal image. The postcard sentiment and reindeer are from "Winter Post" by SU! Of course a little twine, gingham ribbon and a jingle bell were in order.

The leaf punch in from Martha Stewart and is the perfect tool for making little wreaths. Over the years, this has been one of my favorite things to do on holiday cards. I love using flower punches for spring and summer wreaths as well. The glitter is also from Martha Stewart and I only used a bit here and there for a bit of added shine. I will be back on Saturday for a fun version of Jen's SFYTT!!!! Thanks for fluttering by!

A smile is the key....

....that fits the lock of everyone's heart!

I have really been trying to stay on top of my card making needs and actually use the cards that I make. I needed a little "thinking of you" card for one of my friends so I sat down to get one done. After it was all said and done, it really would have made a cute Christmas card had I just switched out the focal image and sentiment. The paper is from Scenic Route and is a couple of years old, but it is still some of my favorite! I am so proud of myself...I have been using up so much paper from my stash and I rarely even visit any scrapbook stores! I can't even imagine how long it would actually take me to "run out", though.

All of the stamps that I used on this card are from Papertrey Ink. They include: Everyday Treats, Heart Prints and Heart Prints Sentiments. I used the coordinating die with Everyday Treats and the coordinating punch with the heart. Can I tell you how much I love punches and dies? It is so fast and easy to get layers and details without taking up so much time and effort! I also added some ribbon from May Arts and some baker's twine which is also from PTI.

After I tied the ribbon, I thought it seemed a bit naked, so I added a tiny key to give it a little something extra. It also fits in nicely with the sentiment. Another thing that I love doing with the heart image is to add a button which has been threaded with an X....like cross my heart! I know, I know....I am a goof!

Like I mentioned before, this card looks like it could be a Christmas card, I may just have to work these papers into a Christmas design! Thanks for fluttering by!

Merry and Bright *SFYTT*

It's official...my first Christmas card of the season! I hope everyone had a beautiful and happy Thanksgiving! I love this time of year...lots of family and friends, happiness and fun! Speaking of family, my Mom gave me "Greeting Card Kids" from SU! for my birthday and this is the first time I have used it on a card. I stamped the sweet little school kids, colored them and then never finished anything with them. The next image to use was the Halloween girl, which by the way is adorable, and I was too busy! No excuses now....I inked her up right away and colored her with copic markers. She looks so cute in her vintage finery pulling her tiny tree. The sentiment is from "To you and yours" and is also from SU! All of the sentiments from that set are some of my favorites.

The circle was cut and embossed using Nestabilities and my cuttlebug. I gave it a vintage touch by sponging the edges with Vintage Photo distress ink by Ranger. Of course it wouldn't be complete without a sprinkling of tinsel glitter as well. I made an accordion medallion layered on a scallop circle for some extra color and depth. The snowflake was punched using a Martha Stewart punch. If anyone can point me in the direction of a fabulous snowflake die, I would love to know. Thanks!

The finishing touches include some of the re-purposed tickets, ribbon, buttons and of course, a jingle bell! I had a ball with this sketch! I hope you all find some time to play along!

You won't want to miss the other designers!
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!
P.S. My Mom, my sister and I are taking Emma to see Ballet West perform The Nutcracker today. I am giddy with excitement! I can't wait to watch Emma as she soaks it all in and experiences the magic! I think it is the perfect way to start off the holiday season!

And the Winner is.....

DEBORAH SAARANEN!!!!! Yay! If you want to email me your mailing adress @ kellyrory1@msn.com I will get your goodies out to you! I had such a fun time reading all of your fun comments! The snow itself wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but the temperatures have been soooooooo cold! Thanks for all of your well wishes, too! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I will be back tomorrow with a new SFYTT! Thanks for fluttering by!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love celebrating the end of fall, being with friends and family and of course, the food! Speaking of which, I need to make this short because I have pies to make and rolls to get ready. We are headed to my Mom's this year for Thanksgiving and I wanted to bring a card with some of the fall photos I took of my kids. I sent a card to my in-laws as well.

I have mentioned before that I wanted to play catch up on all of the SFYTT and I think this is the last sketch that I needed to use. It was one that I was the most intimidated by, but in the end it was really fun and the ideas came easily. I was inpspired to use "Lovely as a Tree" as a few of you mentioned that it would be one of your must have sets if you could only pick one. Keep the comments coming until midnight tonight, MST! I also paired it with "Holidays and Wishes" for the sentiment.

Everything is very straightforward in this one. Simple and easy and great for when you are in a hurry! The thing that I love most about Jen's SFYTT is that I end up by using my stamps and supplies in different ways. I never would have used these particular images in this way! Thanks for fluttering by and enjoy your Thanksgiving!

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!