Birthdays, Baseball and Beauty!

Happy Saturday everyone!

My is it cold here!! The sun did poke out a little bit this afternoon, but just before it went behind the horizon. Days like these I just feel like cozying up on the couch with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate! Why didn't I do that today?

I'm not going to complain too much because I was able to take a nap and stamp! Yeah!! Izzy has been playing with Daddy most of the day. I have had the radio on, so she has been dancing up a storm. She was able to go outside for about five minutes, but then she grumped the whole time so we came back in. I guess she isn't used to the cold either.

We had a wonderful dinner over at "Aunt" Tracy's last night. Izzy wouldn't let her out of her site and kept making poor Tracy talk to herself on the phone. I have to say though that she was a hungry little hippo last night. She ate almost half a chicken breast! I couldn't believe it. Of course "Aunt" Tracy smothered it in Ranch dressing for her so that might have had something to do with it, but still!

Onto the cards! My first card is a birthday card I created with an oldie but goody set I have from Pink Cat Studio. I don't have anybody to give it to yet, but it always seems that people's birthday's sneak up on me and I am scrambling to create a card. This way I will have one on stand by! I decided for this card I would incorporated two challenges (the weekends are always full of wonderful challenges I want to play but don't seem to have enough time for). The first challenge was today's Inspiration Challenge over at SCS. The theme was the show "Mad Men". I was inspired by one of the photographs. I just loved the colors of the polka dots on the woman's dress. I used today's Sketch For You To Try over at I {heart} 2 stamp for the layout.

Isn't the dress beautiful! I think I was born in the wrong decade. I absolutely love 40's and 50's fashion. All the women always looked so glamorous! I started this card off by stamping the image from Party Farm Animals by Pink Cat Studio on a piece of white card stock and colored them in with my copics and stampin' write markers. (My pig actually started out pink, but I decided he stood out too much so I colored over him with my browns. I love my copics!!!) I then added a little bit of liquid applique to the sheep, because a sheep has, has, has to be fuzzy. I finished the image by dabbing on a little bit of close to cocoa in the corners and around the edges. I then mounted the image on a piece of brown card stock and a piece of blue card stock. Following the sketch, I layered on brown card stock, light green card stock, blue card stock and two kinds of DP. The brown band was embossed with my swirls cuttlebug folder. I next stamped the sentiment, colored it in, dabbed on a little close to cocoa and mounted it on a piece of blue card stock and a piece of green card stock that I cut out with my nesties. I popped it, along with the main image off the card. I love all the bright colors.

My next card is a card I have been thinking about for a long time. A couple of weeks ago, our neighbor's son Caleb received a 1 at state on the piano! We are so proud of him! Well, he is 12 and a boy and I really don't have too many stamps that fit this criteria. Of course I always go to my Billy stamps when I make kids cards, but he really isn't a kid anymore. So I thought about it and thought about it and finally decided, forget it. I am going to use Billy and dress him up as a baseball player. (Caleb is a baseball fanatic!). I decided that I would put on the inside, "Congrats, on knocking one out of the park with a 1 at state!!". See I knew it would work out in the end.

For this challenge I used the Sketch Challenge over at Sketch Saturday for the layout. I also decided to use the Pink Cat Studio Challenge this week over at their group page on Paper Craft Planet. The challenge was to use 1 ribbon on your card, 2 different background papers, and 3 embellishments.

I can't wait to give it to Caleb. I even but a "C" on Billy's cap since Caleb's team is the Crusaders. Alright, I started this card by stamping Billy, the baseball, glove, hat and bat from Dress Up Billy by Pink Cat Studio on a piece of white card stock. I colored them in with my markers and copics. I then cheated and cut out the baseball, hat, glove and bat and adhered them to Billy. I have a really hard time masking them off and getting all the stuff to line up. Remember, spatially challenged here! Lol!. Okay I then dabbed on a little bit of bashful blue around the edges to give it some color. I added some red stitching to the edge and mounted him on a piece of DP and red card stock. Next, following the sketch, I layered on two different DPs and some red card stock. I cut out red and blue circles using my nesties and added faux stitching to everything! I then place three baseball buttons in the circles. I printed off the sentiment on my computer and mounted it on a piece of blue card stock. I really hope Caleb likes it!!

My last card I am just so proud of. I wish that the picture had come out better. It is so much prettier in person. I am going to call her Beauty With Lantern. She is such a gorgeous stamp. She is actually my first Whiff of Joy stamp. I decided to use this week's Sketch Challenge over at Paper Craft Planet for the layout. And here she is!!!

I love her. Boy is she beautiful! I would love to say this is what I looked like as a little girl, but anybody who has seen a picture of me would know that is not true, lol! Okay, so I started this card off by stamping Willow With Lantern by Whiff of Joy on a piece of white card stock. I then colored her in with my markers and copics. It took awhile, but boy was it worth it! Then following the sketch, I layered on green card stock, red card stock and two pieces of Christmas DP. I added a green ribbon and three diamond brads. I cut out Willow with my nesties and mounted her on a piece of red card stock. Oh, I can't wait to give her to someone. I just love this image.

Well thanks for stopping by tonight! I hope you have a wonderful evening. Thanks as always for stopping by!