Especially for Mom!

I've been making hand made cards since my younger son was only a few months old, and he just turned ten earlier this month.  When I first started, my cards were really simple and honestly quite terrible. Yikes.  Over the years, they've been stitched on, water colored, fussy-cut, die-cut.

And my sweet mother has a drawer FULL of them at her house, every single one I've given to her over the last ten years.  So, when I make a card for her now I'm extra specially careful to make it a keeper because it's going into the drawer.

Fortunately for me, I am well equipped with a LARGE collection of MFT Flower Die-namics. I added a Keys and Locks Die-namics, an MFT Button and a Scalloped Doily too.  I must say that think layering and clustering embellishments like this is my very most favorite part of cardmaking when I'm able to eek out a little time to do so.

It's tough to see in the photo, but the main panel was stamped with Natural Ink using the Sheet Music Background stamp.  A kraft layer was added using the Bracket Duo.  You can use any of the MFT alphabets to create custom sentiments, but for me the Little Letters are just the right scale for cardmaking.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

A Nautical Welcome Baby

It's been ages since I've had something crafty to share, but I've got two new cards to blog this week. Since I'm out of my regular card making routine, this all takes me longer than it used to. It was fun to grab my iPad and crank through a few episodes on Hulu and make a big old crafty mess.  I have quite a large supply of stamps and Die-namics from My Favorite Things, so I was pretty sure I could put together something.  And I got to enjoy an episode of Scandal on a quiet Sunday morning, so it's all good!

Up fist I have the card that I made for my new baby cousin.  I'm so excited to meet this little squish later this afternoon.  Sweet Patrick is my cousin's little baby and they're home for the weekend. I'm so excited that our family has grown by one tiny adorable little boy.

Clean and simple cards are such a hot trend, but I can't help myself I do love lots of layers and added details.  I started by grabbing my selected palette of colors - navy, kraft, fuse green and whip cream.

Then I reached for my Sailboat Die-namics.  These are so classic, and so ME!  At first I picked up my Let's Get Nautical Die-namics but realized the scale of the anchor was off.  Happily I recalled I had my Sea Charms, the scale was just right for a small accent.

Up next I reached for my assortment of Cover Up Die-namics and selected the Stripes Die-namics.
As I layered my elements I wanted something to cover the bottom third of the card.  I die-cut a rectangle and overstamped with the Typewriter Text Background Stamp from MFT.

Rather than use the anchor as a charm, I diecut it from a Navy circle and used the negative, I paired that with two MFT Buttons for a little trio.

If you've been collecting the Blueprints Die-namics then you'll have a variety of small elements to mix and match.  I found this stitched strip in one, and this large fishtail in another.  It's a great way to have perfectly even, square cornered cuts.

That's it for me today, I have a girly-girly card to share with you. I'm off to go edit photos and will have it to share with you tomorrow! 

Ewe Complete Me

Yesterday I took the whole morning to just sit and create and one of my favorite things to do is watercolor. I've had this stamp set patiently waiting on the top of my desk for a day where I could just sit in a quiet house and paint a little.

And I'm so glad I waited. Because it was silent, nobody calling for a snack, no place to rush off to. 

Just sit. And paint.

Now, don't get me wrong, and don't judge. I love the hustle, bustle, crazy of our lives. I love that the boys NEED me around, because apparently no matter where I am in the house, shower, bathroom, laundry room, sleeping, there is almost always a fairly URGENT question for me to answer. Even when their Dad is sitting next to them, they will come and find me.  

And that's a-okay.

But yesterday. Silence.

So while yes, Together certainly IS the nicest place to be. Every now and again, I'll take alone in my peace and quiet, just for an hour or two.  

This adorable image is from The Cat's Pajamas and is titled Ewe Complete Me.  The set has a whole slew of cute sentiments to go with the image, I hope you'll check it out.

No Work Wednesday

With my new work schedule I've got Mondays and Wednesdays off.  For the last few months I've used it to run errands, clean house and do laundry. Today I decided that I wasn't going to do any of those things. (Yikes!) Today I tucked myself away into my crafty cave and made two cards, then took my dog for a well deserved play at the dog park, and now I'm blogging.

I do feel a little guilty about the sink full of dishes, and I'm going to try get the sink cleaned up and switch over the laundry before I head off to pick the boys up at school, but it honestly did my heart good to just be still and create.  Do you have those days? Please say yes.

I was excited to see that the MFT Sketch Challenge worked perfectly with the Die-namics I was itchy to play with. Maybe, hopefully, I can make the Sketch Challenge my new Wednesday routine since it's my regular day off?  I hope you'll excuse the background of my dining room, after all I have no idea where I've hidden my light-box which used to be used every single day!

My Die-namics today are Let's Get Nautical  and I added the sentiment "You Keep Me Anchored" from the companion Go Overboard stamp set.

The insides of cards never photo nicely, but here's a peek:

Here's the original sketch for the day, be sure to head on over and add your own sample too!

A Little Snowday Stamping

Five out of the last 11 school days have been snow days, and in the last 17 days we've had 60 inches of snow fall.  It is beyond crazy.  During that time I've done endless loads of laundry, shoveled, played in the snow, walked the dog (because its so deep outside he refuses to go out alone) and made all manner of yummy comfort foods.  Finally I said "NO" to the long list snow day to-do's and did some snow-day stamping.  I've missed having a hobby so this was a lot of fun!

Up first I have a card to share with you for the Retro Sketches Challenge this week.  

I used the Cute Cameras Die-namics as my focal point.  It's such a cute die set!  The sentiment "smile" was found in the coordinating Picture This stamp set. The small rectangular element in the sketch was stamped with the Diagonal Background Stripes using Steel Grey ink to Grout Gray cardstock.  I added a little trio of MFT Buttons to the top right hand corner.

Using my Blueprints to diecut all my basic card layering pieces makes for nicely cut, squared off corners. And honestly, my paper trimmer blade is just never sharp enough.  Blueprints make it easy peasy!

With a whole lot of snow accumulating outside, I settled into my Hulu-watching and made a second card.

I pulled out the Die-namics Lightbulb and the companion Watt's Up Stamp Set.  I die-cut the light-bulb from some Grout Grey card stock and then softly sponged the edges with a bit of Lemon Drop ink for a soft glow.

I added a little Fishtail Banner using a piece of Steel Grey card stock which was over stamped with the Diagonal Stripes Background a teeny Sno Cone Button.

Voila - two valentines to pack away for the boys this weekend!  Off to my crafty-cave to see what else I can put together! Have a great day!

Curtain Call

 

It's time for a new Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge and today I'm excited to be joining the regulars as a guest designer! 

 

photo source: thetomkatstudio.com

The LEAD will be invited as a Guest Designer in a future challenge!

When I saw this inspiration photo I was SO excited to play along because between the chevron pattern and the classic color combo... I'm smitten.

I grabbed my iPad and a cup of tea and headed into my studio to play a while on a nice snowy and lazy day! It is so rare that we get a lazy day so I like to relish when the schedule affords us a little extra time.  The chevron detail was added with my Chevron Cover-Up Die-namics and paired the Layered Rose Die-namics and the Rolled Scallop Flower.

The flower cluster has a few fun additions.  Tucked behind the cluster you'll see a a Mini Delicate Doily peeking out. Layered over that you'll find a Die-namics Fishtail Banner and a Natural Button is anchored just on top of the fishtail banner.

I used the Happy Hellos Die-namics to knock out the word "hi" from a Stitched Circle STAX. I layered that over a piece of coordinating red cardstock for a nice little "pop" of color. 

Make sure you visit each of the designers' blogs for more inspiration!

Kissing Booth Designers

Guest Designer, Joanne Basile

Amy Kolling


Amy Sheffer


Amy Tsuruta


Gayatri Murali


Kim Singdahlsen


Laurie Willison


Lisa Henke


Marisa Ritzen


Maureen Plut


Monika Davis


Sarah Gough


Sheri Gilson

Stacey Schafer


Tenia Nelson


Tracey McNeely

Follow us!

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge Facebook Page

Curtain Call Pinterest Boards




Stop by the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge for the challenge details and to play along with us!

For the Mr. & Mrs.

This weekend my husband and I headed off to my cousin's wedding in the city, it was so fun to get all dressed up. I had this cute dress in my closet, but as it's a tank style I'd ordered a cute little shrug to wear with since Brrr it's FREEZING.  It was all good until the shrug came out of the mailing envelope a few hours before the wedding and I found the security tag still on it! Lucky for me a local vendor was happy to help remove the magnetic tag for me. Phew!

The church was beautiful, and was still lit with twinkling Christmas lights.  This beautiful church, the Old South Church is directly across the street from the building I worked in for years downtown but I'd never been inside. It's beautiful! It's also a national treasurer, former members of the congregation include Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams.

After the ceremony we had a blast dancing the night away.  My husband is a total riot on the dance floor, add to the mix my cousins, aunts and uncles.  Most of all though, dancing with my grandmother. She's a blast!

So, obviously the reason you're here today is to see the card!  I had so much fun making this in anticipation of the celebrations.  I pulled out my Bride and Groom Die-namics from My Favorite Things. I also pulled out my Ampersand Die-namics and I was so happy that when I got rid of my patterned paper that I'd somehow had the foresight to hold onto this pretty silver paper.

The cardbase is made from some Sweet Tooth Cardstock and I used a bit of Grout Gray cardstock for the main panel.  That layer is overstamped with the Romantic Script Background you can't see it very well here, but it's subtle and gives just enough texture in person.

I love using my Blueprints Die-namics to cut panels, it makes sure that everything is nice and straight, this one in particular adds a lovely stitched detail.  I grabbed the little stitched strip from this Blueprints.  If you're not familiar with Blueprints I totally encourage you to check them out, each set also includes four digitally provided sketches to make quick work of your cardmaking.

With it being a January wedding I took a good guess that the a red accent would go nicely at this time of year, you can imagine how happy I was when I saw the bridesmaids walking down the aisle in pretty cranberry colored dresses! Score!

I added a sentiment from Together Forever to the inside of the card. 

Okay thanks friends, have a wonderful day!

Always Believe in Yourself

 This week's challenge over at the Curtain Call is a Winter Wonderland and I do love a winter white card.  This gave me a chance to ink up a set that has been sitting patiently (and I do mean for like six months patiently) for me to have a moment to ink it up.

With my family still nestled in over the last day of Christmas Vacation I turned on Pandora, poured a cup of coffee and set to work. I gathered up an assortment of Whip Cream and Natural card stock, as well as my Kraft Ink and my Delicata Gold Ink too.

I mentioned the other day, but I actually purged my entire collection of patterned paper. I know. right?? All of it. So from now on, I'm a background stamping kinda girl. The Whip Cream layer has been stamped with the Sheet Music Background with Kraft Ink.  Then I cut it out with the Blueprints 1 largest die. The sentiment from Chalkboard Greetings Too was stamped with Delicata ink and then cut with the Pierced Square STAX.

The embellishments used here are the Mini Hybrid Heirloom Rose and the Fringed Perennial.  The Hybrid has two Royal Leaves and I've used two Whip Cream buttons along with some of MFT's Hemp Cord.  No joke this cord is spectacular, I love the weight of it and I love that it's "hairless" I don't like a shaggy twine on my cards.

Be sure to head on over to visit the Curtain Call Challenge and add up your sample too. I always love the inspiration photos they choose.  Have a great day, and I hope to be back soon-ish with more inspiration to share!

A Turtle Tot for a Sweet Sunday Sketch

I did a major crafty purge this summer and re-homed a lot of items that hadn't seen ink in a number of years.  During that process there were several things that were simply too sweet to let go of, even if they hadn't been used in ages.

Chief among those things, was this sweet Turtle Tot and a few of its brothers from Stamping Bella.  I did a little search and it looks like the turtles are no longer available, but that of course makes me even happier that I didn't let them go!

I'd already watercolored this little number when I saw the Sweet Sunday Sketch pop up in my Facebook feed. This sketch was just perfect for my already pre-colored image.  I just flipped the sketch over on its side and trimmed the image out with my Pierced Rectangle STAX.

The background was created with MFT's Typewriter Text background stamp.  You know what I did purge this summer, all of my patterned paper. ALL OF IT.  So now if I'm stamping I'll be creating my own backgrounds. Good thing I've got a huge stash of background stamps to work with.

Tiny accents were added with the Fishtail Flags STAX and a little Blu Raspberry MFT Button too.

Head on over to visit the Sweet Sunday Sketch Blog and be sure to add your sample to her link-up widget.

Wishing you a wonderful day, I'm off to soak up the last day of vacation with my guys!

A Good Excuse to Get Crafty....

Hello my crafty friends! It has been ages since I've posted, so by now who knows if anyone will even see this, but I've missed writing here and I hope that the New Year is off to a good start for everyone.

My younger cousin is expecting in fact, TWO of my younger cousins are expecting!  This turns out to be a great excuse to go make something a little crafty for the impending arrival. 

Here's how I know that I'm the mother of a soon-to-be teenager... when I announced I was headed to the mall to buy a baby gift, he asked to come with.  I was shocked!  Jack actually picked out an elephant themed baby gift so I pulled together an elephant card to accompany the gift.  Since I've had all my crafty goodies tucked away the hardest part of the project was in fact finding all the parts and pieces I had in my mind....

This sweet elephant was die-cut using the Beautiful Baby Die-namics designed by Lisa Johnson for My Favorite Things and the stamp set is the companion Beautiful Baby stamp set.  I added the items to a sweet little Baby's Bib Die-namics.

The Sno Cone panel was overstamped with the Woodgrain Cling Rubber Background using Sweet Tooth Pigment Ink. The finished bib is embellished with a trio of MFT Buttons.  This summer, when I was cleaning up and packing away a lot of my supplies, my husband dared question the boxes and boxes of buttons. I reminded him to "back away from the buttons and nobody will get hurt."

I'm already a little itchy to go make a little card for my other cousin's little baby, this one will be a little girl.  In fact, I am so excited to go make something with some rolled flowers, so hopefully I'll be back soon with something pretty and pink and flowery. 

As far as life goes, I'm thrilled to say that I've been hired to work at the boys school, and I've been there since early November.  It is just about the perfect opportunity for me including parent communications, photography, video and social media.  I'll also be handing the enrollment process and welcoming new families, I'm loving it!

I'm there when the boys are in school, and then I'm able just be MOM for the rest of the day when we leave at 3:30.  With the boys assorted sports and activities it's been idea.  One great perk of the job is that often I'l run into my boys and sometimes my little niece when I'm in the halls - which in itself is pretty great! (My pre-teen is not exactly so excited to have me there, there are dramatic eye rolls when photos of his grade level is on my to-do list.) Most of all though it's been amazing to work for an organization that is so near and dear to my heart...we have some really exciting work ahead of us as the school is looking for a new, permanent and much larger home over the next few years. 

For those of you that have followed my adventures with Dart, he's adjusted very well to me being out of the house a few days a week, although he's put on a few extra pounds (oh buddy, me too!) One of my intentions this year is to be better about walking on the days that I'm not in school, we both need the exercise.  He has another small tumor, this one is called a histiocytoma, the vet tells me that it is a benign tumor that usually just goes away in 2-3 months time. However, if any of you have experience with this gross little thing, please let me know how it worked out for you.

Happy New Year crafty friends and hope to see you soon!

Dare To Get Dirty - For a Very Sweet You!

Hello crafty friends! Today I'm here with a card that's just for fun, or actually a fun challenge with a friend. The sweet and oh so talented Lori Craig asked if I'd make a sample for her Dare To Get Dirty challenge and I was ever so happy to oblige! 

If you're not familiar, Dare To Get Dirty is a celebration over at Splitcoast Stampers and the party is just for members of the Fan Club.  You can read all about DTGD here on this thread.

My younger son had a really tough time with 3rd grade, and I wanted to give him the best foot forward for Grade 4. His new teacher has been coming to tutor him in math each Wednesday and I've been exceptionally impressed with her level of patience and the creative ways she's been able to engage with him.  I really have my fingers crossed that it will be a wonderful year. 

So, this card is for her, to kick off what I have high hopes will be a great year for him <--- or actually for all of us! My Dad says that at any time you're only as happy as your least happy child and I can honestly say that is exactly how I feel. When my boys are happy, well, I am too!

All of my supplies today are from My Favorite Things.  The sentiment is from the Banner Greetings stamp set paired with the Banner Greetings Die-namics.  It is layered on top of the Red-Delicious Die-namics cut from Electric Red and Fuse Green card stocks.

I've used the Typewriter Text background for a bit of a "school-ish" theme.  My very beloved Woodgrain Background stamp was inked with Sweet Tooth ink to Fuse Green card stock.  And Houndstooth is a classic fall themed pattern cut with my Houndstooth Cover-Up. 

You'll find all the reasons for my layout and theme for today's card as part of Loris' challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers Dare To Get Dirty Event.  Goodness, it felt great to make a card and I'll have to get back into it soon enough to make a birthday card for my older son this weekend!

A Fond Farewell - Wishing You Everything Happy

My friends, I'm here with some news to share with you all.  For the last several years, I've been blessed beyond belief to work for My Favorite Things.  First as a designer and then behind the scenes, creating video, providing support to some of our wholesale accounts, and teaching at retreats and tradeshows.  It's been an honor and a pleasure.  I've had so many fabulous opportunities, and made some life-long friends. 



Along the way, it's been amazing to watch My Favorite Things grow and flourish.  I remember getting a call from Kim and working on the release of MFT Die-namics.  I recall the meeting where we first discussed the idea for what you all know as the Blueprints.

I'm writing you all to let you know that I've recently accepted a new position.  I'm going back to my roots in technology marketing and jumping into a this new opportunity full force.  Over the last six months or so, my husband's work travel has picked up enormously and I need to be able to juggle a new job, and these two busy boys.  As such in addition to resigning my position behind the scenes, I'm also going to hang my paper cutter and adhesive gun up on the shelf for a little bit.  I just need to give myself the time to get up to speed at work, and enjoy these two boys while they still want to hang out with Mom.  Let me just say, I know these minutes won't last.

So today, I'm wishing all of YOU everything HAPPY.   

For my farewell card, I'm using the new Happy Die-namics paired with the Square Grid Cover-Up Die-namics.  I used the Grid to die-cut a piece of cardstock stamped with the Diagonal Stripes Background which were assembled into a fun quilted/chevron pattern. 

For those of you that I've met in person, or virtually at Release Parties, thank YOU for all the loving comments, the never ending support and the laughs.  I'll miss each of you.  I hope to be back now and again with a card just-for-fun.  (In fact, I have a Dare to Get Dirty sample for you in the next two weeks - be sure to check SCS for all the details on Dare to Get Dirty it's a BLAST!)

PS - For those of you that have asked, my sweet and loveable, though sometimes mischievous four legged friend Dart is doing just great, 100% healed and busy as ever. He recently enjoyed his first trip to the beach and he just LOVED it!

Thanks my sweet crafty friends and wishing you all the very best.

 

 

It's all about the nails....

Hi crafty friends! When I find something I just love, of course I want to share it with all of you. My love of paper and pattern has spread over to my nails.  For about 2 years I've been wearing a gel nail, but somehow I can't reconcile all the organic food we eat with the harsh chemicals I've been putting on my nails. 

A friend of mine recently became a Jamberry Independent Consultant and I've been watching all the cute designs she's put on her nails.  Best of all Jamberry is free of harsh chemicals and formaldhyde, they are even Vegan friendly if that's your thing :)  You can find Debbie's little shop HERE. Here's a peek at what's on my nails today -

I've been sanding down the gel nail below and adding the Jamberry shields on top to cover the "gap" between gel and natural nail. Having worn acrylic nails for years before, I know that my natural nail below these gels will be weak and look terrible.  I'm protecting the nail while the fakers beneath grow off.  I don't want to see the mess I've created from years of gel nail wearing. 

I will say that adhering the shield over the gel nail is a little tricky because the levels are uneven despite all my sanding. The gels have created a "curved" shape which I have to stretch the wrap a little bit. But there are SO many handy YouTube videos you can watch on the subject.  (and I've watched a bunch. So fun!)

But people look how cute they are on toes.  Sorry it's a foot photo, and that can be gross, but friends, I have CHEVRONS on my toes. I'm in love. These babies are rumored to last between 4 and 6 weeks on toes.  I've had them on for over a week with no issues at all. No lifting, no chipping, no rubbing off.  They're perfect!

If you're interested at all, I invite you to attend a little "Virtual Nail Party"  my friend Debbie will gladly send you a sample if you want to try them out, and she's also got some fun give-aways and drawings. In fact, there is a drawing for a free Mini Heater open till TONIGHT at 11pm. Please message me if you'd like to join the party and I'll add you on Facebook. 

Here's what's on my Wish List

Grey and White Polka
Poppy and White Polka
Black and White Skinny

Navy Quatrefoil - must have these ones to go with these that I already have Nautical and won't they be so cute.

Please leave me a comment if you have any questions I'm happy to help!

It's a Release Rewind for My Favorite Things!

In case you missed it, the My Favorite Things Release was earlier this week and it was a big, huge birthday celebration!  Today I've got two cards and a cute little tag to share with you to showcase a few elements from this month's Release.

Up first, how about another look at the Bring on the Cake Die-namics paired with the Delicious Birthday Stamp Set.  I created an all white on white cake for a touch of elegance.  The frosting is covered with glitter from my Wink of Stella pen.

I love that the sentiments in the Delicious Birthday set offer a mix of fonts. I stamped "Everything's Better" with Black Licorice Hybrid Ink and then the "with a birthday cake" with Kraft ink for a soft feel.

My second card pairs the new Balloon STAX with the Rectangle Frames Die-namics, a bit of the Happy Birthday Background and another sentiment from Delicious Birthday - as you can see the set is fabulous with, or without cake!

The Happy Birthday Background was stamped with Sweet Tooth ink to Sno Cone Card Stock.

The new Blueprints Tag Builder 1 Die-namics helps you make quick work of wrapping.  Mix and match the elements on your own, or work from the companion downloadable sketches like I did. All you need to do is select the color palette that suits your recipient best.  I went for a HOT color combination using Razzleberry, Grape Jelly, Black Licorice and Blu Raspberry.

 

Lots of girls on the Design Team have cards to share with you using new MFT Products from the July Release.   Celebrate MFT's Birthday with a little shopping - you'll find all the new goodies HERE in the MFT Boutique.

Happy with the Square Grid Cover-Up. The MFT New Release is Now Available!

We've been taunting you for days, but NOW the new Release is Available and it's RIGHT HERE! 

Do you ever make a card and then sort of giggle about how happy it makes you? That was this one for me.  I'd had a vision of using this Square Grid Cover-Up for a sort of paper quilt and when it came together I was just ever so happy.  And then, well since it's so EASY to do, that sort of makes it even happier no?

 

To begin I stamped the Happy Birthday Background to Fuse Green, Sno Cone and Pink Lemonade Card stocks using Sweet Tooth Ink and zapped it with my heat gun to dry it up.

Then I cut the Square Grid Cover-Up from Whip Cream Card stock.

Then I cut up each of those colored pieces to make many, many grid squares.  So, you see, it gets even better as you can use all those extra pieces to make several iterations of this little card.

A quick "Happy" was cut from the Happy Die-namics from Blu Raspberry card stock and the sentiment "BIRTHDAY" is from the Delicious Birthday set which is on top of a Dimensional Banner Die-namics.  This card just makes me plain old happy!

How about another fun way to use the Square Grid?

Now, you can also use this Square Grid Cover-Up Die-namics to make a window-scene. Today it is layered with the Cloud Cover Up Die-namics (you know I love to layer my Cover-Ups!) and a rolling hill cut from the Snow Drifts Die-namics.  The Happy Die-namics also has an all lowercase version and this is it!

This Happy Die-namics makes some lovely clean and simple type cards. And lately, I'm obsessed with Blu Raspberry.   When paired with the Happy Everything stamp set you can do a little stamping and a little die-cutting for some quick and cute cards.  I've added a small happy strip of the Diagonal Stripes Background and accented with a tiny pink Hearts a Plenty. 

Be sure to check out all the fabulous projects that the MFT Designers have to share by hopping along through the New Product Launch. You'll find links to everyone who is participating tonight on the MFT Blog.  Happy shopping!