Mojo Thanks!

I have decided that if I am going to participate in all of the challenges that I enjoy, I am going to need to combine them on occasion. Since I never got the energy to stamp yesterday, I decided to comine today's Color Challenge from SCS and this week's Mojo Monday sketch. I really liked the springy colors and it gave me an excuse to use the one image from "Friends 24-7" that I haven't used yet. I hope you aren't getting sick of this set, because it is one of my new faves. I thought this card really showed the versatility that this set has. I also paired it with the "Friendly Words" Jumbo wheel (surprise, surprise)!

I used a blender pen to color the image using Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette and Perfect Plum. I used the "Bella Toile" BG stamp using Pink Pirouette ink on Pink Pirouette cardstock. I used a button from the Button Bouquet assortment, using linen thread to thread it. I secured it with a glue dot. I tied a simple bow of white taffeta ribbon and added some piercing to finish it off. There was a time when *every* card I made had piercing on it somewhere. I rarely pierce and more, so I thought it was time to add a little.

This card is *almost* SUO. I used PTI white and foam squares, but those things could be swapped out easily to make this 100% SUO.

Since being sick, I got a little behind on Valentine's projects. I will probably be posting only Valentine's designs for the rest of the week. I have things I would like to make for my kid's teachers and such. Thanks for fluttering by!

Stamps: Friends {24-7}, Friendly Words jumbo Wheel , Bella Toile BG
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Perfect Plum, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive
Cardstock: PTI White, Perfect Plum, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette
Accessories: Paper Piercer and Mat pack, sponge, brayer, white taffeta ribbon, button bouquet, linen thread, foam squares, blender pen, crystal effects

And the Winner is....

Before I announce the winner, I just want to say thank you to all of you! You all left such sweet comments! As most of you know I have been sick for days now and it was so nice to be able to read such nice things as I would sneak out of bed here and there! I am finally feeling better, not 100% yet, but better and I think I may take some time out to stamp today! The kids went back to school and it is snowing madly here.
I was going to have my son randomly pick a number between 1 and 67, but I thought that it might not be fair to #1 or to #67, because the chances of him picking those were slim, so I did it the old fashioned way. I drew a number from a box of papers that had been scrambled up! As soon as I saw the winning number I chuckled to myself.

Number One....you are the winner! How fun!

Steph said...
Hi Kelly,I think your invitations and favours are gorgeous! They look so elegant. The nest theme is perfect for a bridal shower!Thanks for the chance to win some goodies...have a great weekend :)
February 6, 2009 10:23 AM

Please email me your snail mail address at kellyrory1@msn.com and I will mail out your goodies! I think I will throw in a surprise or two as well! Congratulations!

Here for You 24-7 SFYTT

Yes...it is that time again! Time for another SFYTT brought to you by the fabulous Jen Del Muro. I really wonder how she does it! Week after week she brings us amazing sketches. This week is no exception. Unfortunately, I have been laying in bed all day and most of yesterday with the stomach flu, so I have to make this short and sweet so I can crawl back in bed.

I decided after much deliberation to use my new "Friends 24-7" stamp set from SU! and the coordinating "Friendly Words" jumbo wheel. I have been wanting to make a card with the damask print from this set as a focal point and this sketch was the answer. I had a single sheet of Making Memories paper that also had a damask print, so I paired them together. This is another reason why I love double-sided paper so much. It had a coordinating solid on the back.

I also used some Kaiser blossoms, martha stewart gem stickers and some yummy polka dot ribbon. I stamped the "here for you" sentiment onto white cardstock and then punched it with my circle punch and matted it with a large punch with the pink paper. I edged everything with my black inkpad. I was on Kim Hughes blog the other day and she had done that on a card. It reminded me to do it...I used to do it on *every* card and scrapbook page I created years ago. I always like it when old ideas resurrect.

I am so excited...The guest designer this month is Jody Morrow! I can't wait to see what she has created ! She always does the best stuff!
You can check out the other fab creations from the rest of the gals:Jen and Jody Amy ,Carole Susan Amy . They always blow me away with their creations so you will want to make a stop at each of their blogs! Thanks for fluttering by!


I'm gonna go crawl in bed...I will post supplies later!

Showers of Love & a give away!

I had the pleasure of making bridal invitations and favors for my cousins wedding shower. I wanted to keep the look simple since I needed to mass produce, but I wanted them to feel elegant also. I went for a "Boutique Chic" feel. I started out by using "Aqua Mist" cardstock from Papertrey Ink and ran it through my cuttlebug using the swiss dot embossing folder. I cut the focal piece out using my Label 1 dies from Nestabilities. I then stamped the dotted flourish with black ink on the top and bottom. I stamped the circle image with white craft ink onto black paper. These images are from Papertrey Ink's "Boxes, Bags and Tags" stamp set and the sentiment is from "Favor It Weddings". I punched the circle out and adhered it with a foam square. I added two gem stickers from Martha Stewart Crafts. They look quite simple and really they are, but when you add in all the time to cut each label and run each piece of cardstock through the cuttlebug, it does actually take some time.

I really wanted to add some ribbon, but decided rather to add a strip of black cardstock. I needed to make them less bulky so they wouldn't require extra postage.


I have mentioned before how much I love nests and eggs. Last year at Macy's I spied some egg and butterfly chocolate molds from the Martha Stewart Collection on clearance. Of course they had to be mine and I was thinking of all the ways that I could use them. I have always wanted to center a baby shower around "nests", but never have had the opportunity. I decided that I was going to work the "nest" theme into the favors that I would be making. Although it seems a little on the baby side, I decided to use the sentiment "Thanks for helping Jamie build her nest" Every new bride prepares her new home with pride and enthusiasm, so I thought it would be perfect.

I created the "nests" from excelsior by taking a bunch and forming it with my hands. They actually worked up much faster than I thought they would. I assembled the clear boxes that I purchased from the Local Craft Store. I didn't want the chocolates that I had so carefully made to get the excelsior on them, so I placed a tiny muffin cup into the center of each nest. In each nest I placed one milk chocolate egg, one white chocolate egg and a milk chocolate butterfly. I created the sentiment on my computer, punched it out with my large oval punch from SU! and stamped the nest image using "Aqua Mist" hybrid ink from Papertrey Ink. I found the sheer ribbon at the craft store with 25 yards per roll. I decided to use the motto- work smarter, not harder. Everyone thought they were really cute.

I placed the boxes onto a tier of cake plates in matching colors. I couldn't get the best picture, because of lighting issues, but I thought they made a nice presentation. While I was at Macy's the day before the shower I again checked out the "clearance table" and found the same chocolate molds so I bought two more. One more for me and one for a lucky blog reader.

Can I just say how much I love that Papertrey Ink's Aqua Mist cardstock is the perfect match of Martha Stewart's packaging!

This is a photo of the box that you will be recieving! Simply leave a comment on my blog and I will draw a number on Sunday and post the winner on Monday Morning! Thanks for fluttering by!

Supplies: Boxes, Bags and Tags stamp set and Favor it Weddings by Papertrey Ink.

Cardstock: Basic Black, PTI White, Aqua Mist Cardstock by PTI

Ink: Aqua Mist by PTI, Palette Noir, Craft White

Accessories: Martha Stewart gem stickers, cuttlebug and swiss dot folder, nestabilities label 1 dies, foam squares, circle punch

It's a Boy!

There is nothing that I love more than a baby shower! I love shopping for the gift, wrapping the gift, and usually making something to go with the gift. I usually make the card last so that it all *goes*, but I decided that the gift is going to need to *go* with the card! LOL! I had some time to stamp while the kids were watching "Prince Caspian". We only have a few more *late nights* before school starts up again. I have loved having them home so that we could have fun, but I can tell that they are ready to go back and get back into the learning routine. I have to admit that I have been super lax while they have been out.

I decided not to pick up where I left off on this week's SCS sketch challenge, but start over completely. Like I said, I needed a baby card and this seemed like the perfect layout. I went with the same paper and stamp set that I used on the last baby card I made. I am sure you all may be wondering if you saw this card before. Other than the layout, all of the colors, stamps, etc. are the same. I used the "Delicate Dots" DSP that is available now through Stampin' Up! during Sale-a-bration. You can get it free with a $50 order. The ribbon is also part of the Sale-a-bration promotion and you can get this free also. I used my nestabilities for the focal image and scalloped mat. I stamped the sailboat three times; once in Saffron, Bashful Blue, and Celery. I cut out each sail and popped them up with foam squares. The small flag is adhered with 2 way glue.

The rest of the panels are matted onto white cardstock and mounted with foam squares. I did some zig-zag stitching down the side, added a button and celery polytwill ribbon. I used my exacto knife to cut a slit for the ribbon to wrap around. I usually hate doing stuff like that, but I didn't like the empty space on the right hand side, so I used the ribbon to fill it. It also felt unbalanced, so I added a strip of the bashful polka dot paper to create a little more balance.

Wish me luck in finding the perfect gift to *go* with my card! LOL! Like I said, I love baby showers, so I will have fun putting it all together! I know that I promised photos of all of the *bridal shower* stuff. It is coming....it just takes me a while to edit and all that fun stuff. I couldn't get the best pictures of the favors even though I thought they turned out super cute. They seemed to be a big hit!Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. I am always looking for new ways to improve my blog! If there is a brand of stamps that you have seen me use that you prefer to any others, would you please leave me a comment letting me know. I try and give them all a little love, but I value your input! Thanks!

Stamps: Nursery Necessities

Ink: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Sahara Sand

Paper: PTI White, Delicate Dots DSP

Accessories: Square and Scallop square nestabilities, foam squares, sewing machine and thread, button from the paper studio, celery poly-twill ribbon

Thoughts and Prayers

I am super excited! With the help of Phil from Feedblitz (yes...I am on a first name basis) LOL! I was able to get all the kinks out of my blog, not to mention the help from Nancy Riley and some of her friends! Thanks so much! I hope that you are all getting your feedblitz updates now. I took yesterday off from stamping and went to the movies with the kids! My son also had his
"Blue and Gold" Banquet for Scouts. He recieved his Wolf award and some gold and silver arrows! Yipee!

I ordered this "Thoughts and Prayers" stamp set, but it was backordered and I finally recieved it last week. I haven't gotten a chance to play with it yet, so I took some time to ink it up. I can tell it will be a fave! I especially love the tree image that it comes with and I am sure I will be using it a ton with different sentiments, not just the ones it came with!

I started out using my Always Artichoke, Ruby Red and Pretty in Pink markers to color the image. I stamped it onto PTI white cardstock ( can I just say how much I wish SU! would come out with a similar weight pure white cardstock?) and then added some pearl gem stickers from Martha Stewart Crafts. I wanted to use the Bella Rose DSP, but it uses Kiwi Kiss green, so I took my blender pen and added some kiwi highlights to the vine so that the green would go. I stamped the sentiment separatley onto a piece of PTI white cardstock, trimmed it and then sponged the edges with Antique Linen Distress ink, as I did for all of the edges. I popped everything up using foam squares. I added a key charm and some buttons for a little something extra. I thought this design was begging for a lace border, so I added it even though it hangs down farther than the card base. This will have to go in a bigger envelope to accomodate the addition.

I started the stamping day out trying to do today's sketch challenge over at SCS today, but that card ended up on the floor in a pile. I guess I will revisit it later on. I am 0 for 3 in this week's SCS challenges. Oh well. Thanks for fluttering by!




Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers
Ink: Chocolate chip, Always Artichoke, Pretty in Pink, Ruby Red, Kiwi Kiss, Antique Linen Distress Ink
Paper: Bella Rose DSP, PTI White
Accessories: Key charm-LSS, Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Sewing Machine and Thread, Linen Thread, buttons from my stash, sponge

Mojo Songbirds

Well it is Monday again and you know what that means; Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge! I took the weekend off from stamping so it felt good to sit down and make a card. My desk and surrounding floor is an absolute mess, but sometimes I find creativity in the mess! I love having things neat and orderly, but the messier things get in the creative process, the more the ideas flow! At least that is how it is for me! If I already have an idea, then I need things to be tidy.

I headed over to the MojoMondayblog to see this week's sketch! It is a fun one! I knew I wanted to use this new paper I got over the weekend called "Flower Patch" from Making Memories. My Mom and I stopped at my favorite Scrapbook Store after the bridal shower and I went crazy on ribbon! I did pick up some envelopes, paper and Kaiser flowers, too, but the majority was luscious ribbon! After I got the base of the card ready, I needed some stamps. I couldn't decide right away, but settled on using theSongbirds stamp set from TJ Designs, a division of TweetyJillPublications. I have been so fortunate over the years to have many of my projects featured in her Idea Books. Over Christmas I was feverishly working on quite a few new designs that will be featured in her upcoming releases! I will be so excited to see them in print~! I put my heart and soul into them!

This card will be going in my stash that I have set aside to surprise someone with! Thanks for fluttering by!



P.S. Did you see my Audrey Award on my sidebar! How fun is that? Also, if you would like to subscribe to my blog, you can click on the feedblitz counter on the side. I had some technical difficulties over the weekend and had to delete my other widget.

Stamps: Sonbirds by TJ Designs

Ink: Soft Sky, Vintage Photo Distress InkPaper: Flower Patch by Making Memories, PTI White

Accessories: 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 inch circle punches, scallop circle punch, ribbon by May Arts, Flower by Kaiser, Button from The Paper Studio, Linen Thread, Glue Dots, Foam squares, Scallop edge punch, sponge, sewing machine and thread, butterfly punch and diamond gem sticker from Martha Stewart Crafts