Happy Halloween and My Little Angel!

Happy Friday and a Happy Halloween!!!

I can't believe it is already Halloween! I am really looking forward to seeing all the kids tonight. It is supposed to be a beautiful night, so I think we will be giving out lots of treats. I don't think Izzy will be dressing up though. First, she is still afraid of her costumes and secondly she seems to have come down with the same thing I have. Poor baby her little nose has been running all day and she is falling all the time. She hasn't been too grouchy though, just super loving.

Well I have some news about Izzy, we have started potty training!!! I am so excited. She hasn't actually gone potty in the potty chair yet, but she has the whole routine down. She even brought in some reading material this morning and sat down. I wonder where she learned that from, Daddy? I am really proud of her though. She has caught on really quickly. I think next week we will actually try to get her to go. I am a little concerned though because she likes to stick her hand in the bowl after she gets up. Hopefully that will stop. EWWWW!!!

Oh another piece of good news. I have been selected to be this weeks Star Stamper over at MFT! Can you believe it!!! It is a new program they are starting featuring customer's cards. I am so honored!! Have you seen some of the incredible creations the MFT ladies create? I am just flabbergasted that I am included with them! Thank you!

Well on to my Halloween cards! I really had a lot of fun creating these last few Halloween cards today. I am a little bummed though that it is over. I do have Christmas cards to uplift my spirits, so I am looking forward to that. I just can't wait for all the Christmas sets. Yeahh!!

Okay so here is my first Halloween card for today. This card was created for Challenge 6 over at Spiral Whisper. The Challenge was to create a card using one of the Halloween stamps. Well I just received Broomstick Milly and knew she would make an adorable card. Here she is.

I have been seeing a ton of window scene cards out on SCS and really wanted to give it a try. I started off by stamping Milly on a piece of whisper white along with a piece of Halloween DP. I paper pieced her together, colored her in with my stampin write markers and cut her out. I then cut out a piece of purple card stock and scored a 1/4" and a 1/2" in on each side and folded them back and forth so it would pop off the black card. I then cut a hole using my nesties and placed a piece of acetate behind it to create a window. Next I cut out different lengths and widths of green card stock and arranged them on the black card so that they would look like buildings. I aged them with a green copic marker and added windows with a black marker. I then cut out a circle from some very vanilla card stock and shaded it with a sponge and some summer sun ink and some apricot appeal. I then arranged them to create a cityscape. Next I adhered the purple window card stock to the top of the card and cut out a free hand tree out of brown card stock. I added some bark with my markers and then punched out the fence with my new Martha Stewart punch. I finished the card off by adding some Halloween buttons and three green mini brads. I am really happy with the way this turned out. I think Jason's parents will appreciate it even though it is coming a little late.

My second Halloween card is an idea that I have had for quite awhile but have never gotten around to actually executing. Since today is really the last day for Halloween cards, I knew this was my last chance. I'm calling this one "Never Rely On An Elf".

Isn't it cute? I just couldn't help myself. I bought this set from MFT a couple of months ago and just knew it would make a funny Halloween card. I am all about altering stamps to fit other occasions. I started off by stamping the rug, fireplace and Santa's legs from Home For the Holidays by MFT on a piece of whisper white. I then colored them in with stampin' write markers and copics and drew in the floor boards. I then paper pieced the wallpaper with some Halloween DP I had left over. Next I stamped the pumpkins and the sentiment from Kooky Kostumes by SUInk and More on whisper white and colored them in adding some cobwebs. I went ahead and popped off the pumpkins to give them some dimension. Next I stamped the little spider from Trick or Treat by Penny Black to the side of the fireplace. I finished the main image off by printing off the skull from CC Designs Digi Download Sweet Pea Halloween and the cauldron from Simply Sista's and Card Scents' Halloween Digi Stamps and coloring them in using my markers and copics. (I know I used a lot of different stamps, but I needed several small accessories to fill up the "room".) Next, following this week's MFT sketch challenge over at SCS, I layered on Halloween DP and purple card stock. I used my nesties to cut out the circle and my spider web embossing folder to create some texture. I finished up the card by printing off the sentiment on my computer and coloring it in with copics and some Halloween brads. I think it is funny. I can just see Santa getting all excited and heading out on Halloween instead of Christmas! I know my sister will appreciate it.

Now on to the last project for today. Wow have I been busy! This is a little angel box I created for Izzy. When she gets older I hope that she will fill it up with all those little special trinkets she finds and enjoys. This box is being submitted for the Cutie Pie Challenge over at Paper Pretties. They will be releasing their new stamps tomorrow evening and I can hardly wait.

Here is a side view.

This box is actually a little papermache box I found at Michaels for $2. I wanted something that would last. I started off by covering the box with some pretty Christmas DP that I just bought. I then cut out a piece of white card stock and stamped the sentiment from Angel Wings by Paper Pretties over and over in pink to create a background paper. I mounted it behind a piece of green glitter paper to create a little frame. Next I stamped the main image from Angel Wings on a piece of white card stock, a piece of white glitter card stock and a piece of deep red glitter card stock. I paper pieced her together and colored her in using my markers. I then cut her out and applied some liquid applique and more glitter to her skirt. I finished her off by adding some silver rick rack to create a little halo and popped her off the frame. I then punched out a tag of red glitter card stock using my new Sizzix die and stamped the sentiment on a piece of white and mounted it behind it. I added two black brads to either side and threaded through a piece of white ribbon. I added some snowflake brads to the box and closed the lid. I really think Izzy will appreciate it when she gets older. She is such a sweetie.

And here she is my little angel!!

I hope your Halloween is a good one. It is getting close to time here. Be safe and have lots of fun, I know I will! Thanks as always for stopping by!!

Who is up for a Challenge?

Happy Thursday!

It was a perfect fall day here today. The sky was clear, the air was crisp and it just smelled like fall. I still can't believe that it is already October! It feels like it should still be June, where does the time go?

Well today was pretty busy for me. I did three challenges today, one for SCS, one for MFT and one for Simply Sista's. It is so much fun to stretch your imagination to fit the requirements. Izzy even helped me today. She colored on all my cards with markers (the caps were still on) and helped me throw all my scraps away. It is her new favorite thing to put stuff in the trash. I sometimes have to dig through the cans when I am missing something because she has thrown it away.

This evening we went over to Tracy's for dinner. Izzy of course did not want to leave. She just has such a good time with her. I am glad, it is nice to have such a good friend who is close to your children. Izzy of course loves it too because she is constantly spoiled by Aunt Tracy. In fact she will only eat Craisins at Aunt Tracy's if Aunt Tracy hand feeds her. On the tray isn't good enough for my girl. Can you believe it!!!!!

Well here is my first challenge. It was this weeks What's Up Wednesday Challenge for MFT. The challenge this week was to create a box using an MFT stamp set. Well since I missed the pizza box challenge last week over at SCS I decided I wanted to give it a try. I think we might use this as one of our door prizes for our Halloween party.

Isn't it cute. I just love my goo punch. I started this box off by scoring, cutting and folding my box using the directions for last weeks SCS challenge. I then stamped the main image from How Sweet It Is by MFT on a piece of whisper white, two pieces of Halloween DP and a piece of dark purple. I then colored in the witch's body, candy and background with my stampin' write markers and paper pieced the rest. I then mounted it on a piece of black DP. I cut a square piece of DP and used my goo punch around all four edges. I adhered it to a piece of Halloween DP at an angle and popped off the stamped image. I next added a brad to each of the four corners, tied a Halloween ribbon around the lid, added a witch's hat button and filled the box with candy. For a final touch, I printed off the sentiment on my computer, added Halloween DP and black card stock behind it and drew in some cobwebs. It really turned out great! I am sure everyone will be fighting over it!

For my next challenge card I used the Ways to Use it Challenge over at SCS which was to use plaid in your card. Well I knew that I had the absolute most beautiful, fall piece of card stock (it came from a pet themed pack), and I couldn't wait to use it. I have also been dying to use a new digi stamp from Simply Sista's and Card Scents that will soon be released, so it worked out perfect for me.

Doesn't it just make you want to go driving through the park? I started by printing off Girl on a Scooter on a piece of white card stock and colored her in using my markers and silver gel pen. I then drew in the sidewalk, grass and sky and punched out little leaves from colored card stock with my dollar punch I found at Target!! Next I placed my gorgeous piece of plaid DP as the background, off set two pieces of rectangular card stock in the left corner (one brown and one turquoise), added faux stitching and popped off the stamped image. I added a skinny rectangular piece of brown card stock to the bottom, punched out some more leaves on a piece of orange and tied a piece of brown organdy ribbon across them. I finished the card off by adding three yellow brads and scenting it with "Autumn". I just love all the rich colors and texture!

My final card is a card for the Simply Sista's and Card Scents Wednesday Design Team Challenge. This week's challenge was to create a project using the colors pink and black. Love the pink. I immediately thought of my digi bubblegum machine stamp from Simply Sista's.

This was kind of a difficult card for me. I printed off the image, colored it in with my marker's and then got stuck on the paper. I played around a lot with different DP and finally settled on some really cool fuchsia and pink vellum that I have. I cut out a bunch of different size circles using my nesties and then adhered them so that they looked like they were coming out of the bubblegum machine. I then printed off the sentiment, added a piece of black card stock behind it and threaded through some fuchsia organdy ribbon. To finish the card off I added crystal effects to the globe on the bubblegum machine and scented it with "sugar cookies". (I need to get some more scents, this was the only sweet one I had!) I love this card. It is just so fun and whimsical!

Well that is it for me! I am signing off! Thank you as always for stopping by! Your support is appreciated!!

Purple People Eater!

Happy Monday!!!

It is super gray and dreary here today. It is so hard to get used to after the beautiful weekend we had. Our siding is finally going up, and I am so excited. I can already tell that it is going to look like a new house when they are finished. I think I might have to wait awhile though because it is supposed to rain tomorrow and Wednesday.

Well I am super excited, my best friend is coming over tonight! Yeah!!!! I haven't seen her for over a week. I am having serious withdrawal. She has been super busy with work, fundraising and house sitting, but things are starting to wind down. Izzy is really excited to see her "Aunt" Tracy. "Aunt" Tracy is her favorite living creature in the whole world! Even above Tuxy, and that is really saying something.

Well Wednesday is my sister's birthday. Her absolute favorite color is purple. I think if her husband would allow her to, she would have every room in her house purple. When we were in high school she painted her room purple with dark purple ooze coming down from the ceiling. Not quite my thing, but to each his own. Since it is her birthday and I, I repeat I am my parents' favorite daughter (must be hard huh Dani?), I decided to take pity on her and make her a purple themed card.

Isn't it cute. I really like how it turned out! I started off by printing Sydney from Simply Sista's and Card Scents, love my digis, on a piece of white card stock. I colored her in with my stampin' write makers and paper pieced her chair with some DP. I then layered her on a piece of scalloped green card stock and then a piece of DP. I popped her off the background to give the card some dimension. Next I added three brown ribbons to the side of the card with bows at three different levels. I added a hand made paper flower to the corner with a fake flower in the center. To finish it off, I added "hot cocoa" scent to the card, my sister's favorite drink. I just know she is going to love it! Love ya Dani!!!!

My second card was created for today's technique challenge over at SCS. I received the new Halloween digi stamps over at Simply Sista's and Card Scents a couple of weeks ago, (If you haven't seen them yet, check them out they are fantastic) and have been searching for the perfect layout ever since. I finally found it!

Here is a side view.

The challenge was to create an accordion card. The digi's were fantastic for this because I could make them any size I wanted!!! I started off my printing off the lollipop, two pieces of hard candy, candy corn, a cauldron and a cat on white card stock. I then paper pieced all the candy and the cauldron with Halloween DP and flocked the cat to give him some "fur". Next I added a stick to the lollipop and covered the lollipop, and two pieces of hard candy with cellophane to make them look like real candy. I added them to the back fold. Then I cut out a ghost using my sizzix die and added the ghost, cat and cauldron to the middle fold. I stamped the "trick or treat" sentiment from The Witching Hour by SUInk and More to a white tag and layered it with Halloween DP and old olive card stock. I then threaded through a piece of orange ribbon and added a miniature version of the cat and the lollipop to the sides. I finished the card off by scenting it with "Hard Candy", one of the limited Halloween scents over at Simply Sista's. I love this card. It is so fun!!!

Well that is it for me today! I am off to keep Izzy entertained and hopefully to squeeze in a little bit more stamping! As always thanks for stopping by and all the great comments! I read them all! Have a great rest of the day!

Three, Count them Three, Posts Today and an Izzy Bonus!

Happy Saturday everyone!!!

Boy has it been a busy one here so far. I have been stamping staining and pretty soon we will be partying. I have been trying to compete in more and more challenges over at SCS, the sketch challenges are my favorite. Actually all three of my cards I am sharing today are challenge cards. It is so much fun to stretch yourself to meet the requirements. I think that is my favorite part. We have also been staining our deck. Whoever thought having lots of decks and fencing was a good thing is crazy!!! Oh wait it was us, never mind. Tonight we are going to a Halloween party (not a costume party) over at Izzy's friend Lucy's house. I think it will be lots of fun. They are getting to that age where they will play with one another by insisting that they have the toy the other is playing with and then tossing it when they get it. Ahh, what an enjoyable age!

Okay so here is project number one, it is an apple picking invitation. I wanted to try the Watchadoin' Wednesday Challenge over at SUInk and More. (I know it is Saturday, but who is counting). This weeks challenge was to create an invitation of some sort. I immediately thought of apple picking since I have always wanted to go. But when I made up my invitation I thought it wasn't special enough soooo, I created a little favor to go with it.

Isn't it cute. Guess what the best part is? It smells like apple pie!!!!! Isn't that fantastic! I started off by stamping the boy from Leaf it to Me by SUInk and More on a piece of white card stock. I also stamped a basket, some apples and the sentiment on white card stock. I colored them all in using my stampin' write markers and cut out the basket, the boy and the apples. Next I printed out my invitation on a piece of white card stock, and mounted it to a piece of fall DP and a piece of dark red card stock. I then popped off the boy and placed the colored apples in the lower corners. I cut out the stamped apples using my circle nesties and adhered the basket on top. Next I cut out a piece of fall DP and a piece of dark red card stock using my nesties and popped it off the top. Quick and easy invite. For the favor, I used a bucket I picked up at Target, two for a dollar and filled it with a stick, apple and caramel cup. Then I used my nesties to cut out the sentiment, fall DP and dark red card stock. I adhered it using dimensionals to a long piece of fall DP and dark red card stock. Instant favor. Doesn't it just put you in the mood for fall. No? Well this will, I finished up by putting a little "apple pie" smell from Simply Sista's and Card Scents around the edges. It smells so good, I could eat it.

My second card if for the little girl whose party we are going to tonight. A couple of weeks ago she gave Izzy a little purse that Izzy had been eyeing. It is so cute, it looks almost like a Burberry pattern. Izzy carries it everywhere. She has it hooked onto the back of her Izzy stroller and pushes it across the deck filling up her purse with all sorts of odds and ends she finds. I wanted to give her a card that was both kiddy and glamorous, so of course I reached for my Lilly set from Pink Cat Studio.

Isn't she darling!!! I decided to use this weeks Taylored Expressions Cup Cake Challenge for the layout. I started off by using some glitter paper for my background (the more bling the better). Next I Stamped Lilly and Tweet on a piece of white card stock and colored them in with my markers. I cut her out using my nesties and added some liquid applique to the scarf along with some glitter. Next I cut out three different pieces of DP and cut them out with my nesties. I mounted them on green paper and added them to the card. I faux stitched all around the circles and added pearls and rhinestones everywhere!!! I finished her off by stamping the sentiment on a piece of white card stock, mounted it on DP, put eyelets at the ends and threaded through a piece of green ribbon. I couldn't resist and added one more rhinestone. The best part is she also smells. Vanilla this time. I think Lucy will love her!

My final card is actually a combination of two challenges. See I told you I was busy! This card was created for the Hanna Stamps Friday Challenge and also for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge. I have to say this was a little bit difficult for me. I wanted a pumpkin in my card, but Riley in a circle above it looked kind of funny so I changed him into an apple. It is a loose interpretation of Beate's Sketch, but I think it still works.

I call it "Fall Riley". Pretty creative, huh? I know, I know I should be a writer or something. So here is how he was made, minus all the fiddling to make it right. I started off by stamping Pumpkin Patch Riley by Hanna Stamps on a piece of vanilla card stock. I colored him in with my prisma color pencils and cut him into an apple shape. I then cut a piece of green card stock slightly larger, mounted it behind Riley and stuck on a stem and leaf. I then cut out a pumpkin shape out of orange DP, added some shading with my pencils, cut out a leaf, stem and spiral to the top and finished it off by stamping "Happy Fall Y'All" in the middle. I added the pumpkin to the bottom, popped off Riley at the top, and finished the card with three orange brads down the side. Take a wild guess what this card will smell like. "Autumn". See, how appropriate.

Well I am off to get ready for the party, but first the Izzy picture!

Isn't she silly! What a cutie!

Thanks again for stopping by, I always enjoy reading every ones comments. Have a great rest of the weekend!!

Pink is My Signature Color and Bella Boo!

Happy Friday!!!! Yeah!!!!

Today has been a beautiful day. This morning was crisp and cool and now it is in the low 70s, not a cloud in the sky and a light breeze. I couldn't have asked for a better day if I tried. Izzy and I went on a walk this morning to Walgreen's to pick up some Halloween candy. Have to get my hoard in early. She is so excited because Jason is working from home today. She has already sat on his lap and "helped" him with his work. Oh, and she has started to do laundry. I was downstairs sorting out the clothes and Izzy was helping me! Of course all clothes went into the darks pile, but beggars can't be choosers!

The only down side to today is that the workers came and closed the pool. Now instead of sparkling blue water, we have an old blue tarp to look at. Fall is officially here!

I have decided that Pink is my signature color. I just love that line from Steel Magnolias where Julia Roberts is talking about all the different shades of pink and all the different aspects of her wedding. This is my favorite movie of all time! In high school, I think I could have recited the dialogue from the whole movie from memory. Anywhoo, pink is my signature color. I am drawn to it. I have all my designer paper organized by color and take a wild guess which color has the most in it! So today I decided to create a Christmas card that had a pink theme. I found some fantastic designer Christmas paper that had a pink background and knew it would be perfect for my creation. I used MFT's sketch challenge for the layout and today's limited supplies challenge for the concept. I think it really turned out fun!

So here it is, my pink themed Christmas card! I used my new stamp set Hare for the Holidays from MFT stamps that I won during the release party. I think the reindeer is so cute. I started off by stamping the reindeer image on a piece of whisper white and colored him in using my prisma color pencils! Then I mounted the image on a piece of dark green card stock. I then layered DP and dark green card stock following the sketch challenge. I added a piece of pink polka dot ribbon behind the stamped image. Then I stamped the sentiment on a piece of whisper white along with two holly leaves. I colored them in and mounted them on a piece of metallic pink card stock and a piece of dark green card stock. I finished the card off by by adding two metal holly leaves and putting pink gems over the berries. So cute, so pink!!!!

The second card I created was done using the sketch over at Stamping Bella this week. It is of course done using a Halloween image, per my addiction, but does not contain any pink, yeah!!!

I decided to use Trick-or-treatabella from Stamping Bella for this challenge since it required an oval and I wanted it to be a Halloween card. I stamped her on a piece of white card stock and colored her in with my pencils and markers. I then cut her out with my oval nestabilities along with a piece of pumpkin pie card stock and a piece of black card stock. I then layered it on top of Halloween DP and black card stock. I then threaded through a piece of black and green ribbon to add some flair and finished it off with a '"boo" button on the bottom. Love it!!

Okay, so while I was typing this my mailman dropped off some packages (did I mention that he is now my new favorite person), there was stamps in them!!!!! Yeahh!!!!! AND my card scents. I am so excited to get started scenting my cards, I want to start trying them on everything. I am sure that my dog Tuxy won't mind smelling like hot chocolate right? If you have not seen this idea check out Simply Sista's and Card Scents website. They have just about any scent you could want!!

Okay, so that is it for me today! I am off to stamp some more. Thanks as always for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Countdown to Pool Closing and Some Stamping!

Happy Wednesday everybody! It is hump day!

I always feel like I have accomplished something when I have reached Wednesday. So today, Izzy and I have already been outside pretty much all morning. On Friday the pool guys are coming out to close up the pool. It is always so sad. I wish we could keep it open all year so that we wouldn't have to look out at a giant blue tarp all winter, but that is part of living in the Midwest.

Yesterday I taught Izzy how to dance! It was so much fun. I don't usually listen to a whole lot of music during the day, but since we were trapped in the house all day, I thought it would be fun to turn on the radio. Now since I am a wonderful dancer (NOT!), I had to show Izzy my signature move, bouncing up and down in one place. She caught on immediately! It was so funny, she would bounce up and down and smile and laugh. The best part is that she kept overbalancing and falling down. She would laugh and then go hang on to a chair or cabinet for support. She is so funny.

Okay, so Tuxy and Izzy have finally decided to become best friends. Izzy throws the ball or the ribbon or whatever and Tuxy goes and chases after it. It has been wonderful! The two of them have been keeping each other entertained for long stretches of time. Finally! The only down side is that Izzy doesn't always understand that Tuxy is playing and Tuxy doesn't always understand that Izzy wants him to give it back. Ahh, life with kids/pets!

Alright, on to the the stamping and projects!

This first card was Halloween inspired (wonder why?). I wanted to create a scene, almost as if you were looking into somebody's house. This is what I came up with.

Isn't it cute. I started off my printing off a cat, cauldron, and girl on computer from Simply Sista's and Card Scents on a piece of vanilla card stock. They were all digi stamps, so I was able to flip them and resize them. Isn't that fantastic?! You can't do that with your regular stamps. Love them! I colored them in with my markers and pencils. Next I created a background scene with some Halloween DP, card stock and my markers. I placed her on top and and popped off the cat and cauldron. I stamped Itty Bitty Witch's Hat by Lockhart Stamp Company. I then framed the scene with a piece of black card stock and then layered Halloween DP and black card stock. I added three orange brads at the bottom, printed off the sentiment on my computer, mounted it on black and threaded through a piece of Halloween ribbon. I think she looks so fun!

The next project I created about a week ago and thought that it would be perfect for last weeks' pink challenge at Hannah Stamps.

This is what I call a Lady's Tool Kit. Inside are a woman's essentials; nail polish, emery board and some lotion. I created this with a rectangular tin and added some fuchsia card stock to the top. I made the fuchsia paper look like boards with my stampin' write markers and added screw brads to the corners. I then stamped Hanna from Tool Time Hanna by Hanna Stamps, along with her tool chest and colored them in with my pencils. I printed off the sign on the computer and mounted it on a piece of DP. Instant gift. I love this idea! It is the perfect size for your purse, it keeps all the essentials together and looks way cute!

Well that is it for me today! Hope you have a wonderful rest of the day and thanks for stopping by!

It is all Halloween all the time!

Happy Sunday!

I hope you have had as wonderful a weekend as I have. It was so nice to have Jason all weekend again, and it has been absolutely beautiful. The perfect temperature and the perfect weather. I will be sad to see it end. Well Jason and I have been super busy today (mainly Jason), we finally were able to start staining our decks. It just seems to take so long and it is so tiring. We have all the floor boards stained, thanks to Jason and the front and back of two railings thanks to me! I don't even want to think about how long the fence is going to take. Hey, anybody want to join us for a staining party! It is so much fun!

So I have been busy thinking about Halloween again. I know big surprise. I can't help myself. Every stamp set I see now I think, huh I wonder how I can make that Halloween themed. I mean there has to be some way. Just wait till Christmas comes around. It is going to be even worse. With this idea in mind I came up with this simple little treat box that we will be giving away at our Halloween party.


Isn't it cute! It is perfect for a couple of mini snickers bars or milky ways. I am sorry but the treat box said it only wanted to carry chocolate candy. Sometimes they can be so picky! This was so easy to create. I started out by unfolding a mini take out box that I picked up from Michaels. I placed it on a piece of 12 X 12 card stock and traced around it. I then cut it out and stamped the web and spider from Totally Witchin' by MFT stamps on the outside of the box. Next I stamped "beware" from the set The Witching Hour by SUInk and More on the two flaps. I folded the box up, added eyelets to the side to hold it together and threaded through a piece of black satin ribbon to make a handle. I finished it off by going over the webs with my glitter pen. I wish I could be in the drawing to win it.

For my second project I was completely inspired by a card I saw last week on SCS. You can see the card over at Jessica Smith's blog. The card had a peppermint button wrapped in cellophane on it. It was such a great idea, it made the button look like hard candy! So when I received this new Digi stamp set from Simply Sista's and Card Scents with a treat bag on it, I new I had my card idea. Of course this came to me about 2 a.m. on Friday night. Why does that always happen? Why can't my brain have epiphanies at normal hours of the day? The major problem of course is then I lie awake for an hour figuring out the whole concept, picking out the papers in my head and trying to quell the excitement. I usually then have to get up and go write my idea down because I am sure that I will have forgotten it by morning. Sheesh.

Okay back to the card.


I just want to gobble it up. I started this card off by printing the trick-or-treat bag off on a piece of pumpkin pie card stock. I cut it out and shaded it using my stampin' write markers. Next, I punched a hole on either side of the lip of the bag and ran a piece of black ribbon through to create a handle. I mounted it on a piece of white card stock and added the candy buttons. I created these by wrapping cellophane around different sizes, colors and shapes of buttons and twisting the ends to make it look like wrappers. Next I printed off the candy corn on a piece of white card stock and colored them in using my stampin' write markers. I placed them in amongst my candy buttons to add a little variety. I then mounted the completed image on a piece of black card stock and layered behind it Halloween DP and black card stock. I printed off the sentiment "Fill er' up" and cut it out along with Halloween DP with my oval nestabilities. I finished off the card by threading through a piece of lavender ribbon and tied a bow with orange ribbon. I just love it. I can't wait to get my card scents so I can make it smell like candy corn!

Well I am off to eat dinner. Have a great rest of the weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Happy World Card Making Day!

Happy Saturday everyone!

I have been super busy stamping, making cards and playing around with Izzy. Izzy went to her friend Melaina's first birthday party this afternoon. They both had a really good time. Poor Melaina though, she wasn't too sure of her birthday cupcake. She was content with just letting her mommy and daddy feed her. She is such a doll.

Izzy has been in a good mood today. I think it is because her daddy is home. Oh and I have decided she is a genius. I know, that is what everybody says about their children, but it has to be true with her, right? She can unearth her books no matter how hard you try to hide them. Of course, I kind of wish she wasn't quite that smart. I really could use a break from Five Little Monkeys, but it is still pretty impressive.

So, last night I received the most awesome sets of stamps from my friend Amy over at Simply Sista's and Card Scents. She is releasing her Halloween images and Halloween scents today and was kind enough to let me try them out. Can you say love!!! It is so much fun to play with them. They are only available in Digi form, which has become my favorite form of stamp. I wish more stamp companies would offer their stamps this way.

So here she is, my lovely witch!

Isn't she great! Man I wish I looked like this! Jason said this card was one of his favorites, I have a funny feeling it doesn't just have to do with the color choices and layout. :) Okay, so here is how she came together. I printed Ms. Be-Witchy off on a piece of white card stock, colored her in using my prisma color pencils and a gold glitter pen. I then cut her out for later. Next I cut out a circle using my nestabilites and sponged on three different colors of yellow ink (barely banana, yoyo yellow and summer sun). I cut out a piece of Halloween DP and embossed it with my web cuttlebug folder. I attached the circle to the upper right corner and adhered my witch. I punched out a black cat using my Martha Stewart punch and placed him on the end of her broom. I then stamped the sentiment from "Totally Witchin'" by MFT Stamps on a piece of very vanilla, mounted it on a piece of black card stock, placed a black eyelet on each end and threaded through a piece of Halloween ribbon from Michaels.

The second card I am posting today I created using a sketch challenge as well as a "fuzzy" challenge over at MFT.

I guess I am in need of relaxation. I have been making several cards lately with the theme of relaxation. Jason, honey, hint, hint, hint. Okay, on with the show. I started the card off by stamping the main image from Time for the Bubbly on whisper white, orange card stock, pink card stock and two different kinds of designer paper. I then colored in the mirror with a gold gel pen and my stampin write markers followed up by coloring in her body. I paper pieced the tub, wallpaper, carpet and rug. Next I added the liquid applique to all the bubbles and heated it, sprinkling on a little glitter before it dried. Next, I flocked the rug with black and fuchsia. I then glittered the mirror with chunky glitter and added crystal effects to the tub and mirror to make them look glossy. For the layout of the card, I used sketch challenge 50 over at MFT. I mounted the stamped image on a a piece of black card stock and then on a piece of pink card stock. I popped it off the center using my pop dots. I then cut squares to two different designer papers and squares of black and layered them around the central image. I added faux stitching (faux because Izzy was already in bed and I didn't want to get out the really loud sewing machine). I finished up by stamping the words relax and enjoy on whisper white and adding them to each side of the main image with ribbon. I feel calmer just looking at it.

Well I hope you were able to make some sort of card today. Have a great rest of the day and thanks for stopping by!

Sit Back, Relax and Have Some Bubbly! and Grandma Post!!!!

Happy Friday, finally!!

I am so excited for the weekend, we have a birthday party to go to tomorrow, I am going to stamp this weekend and I get to see my best friend for the first time in a whole week. We talk to each other everyday but it is not the same as seeing her. She just started a new job this week (Tracy, we are so proud of you) so she has been exhausted. I am really looking forward to sitting back and gabbing away with her.

Okay, so Izzy is growing up way to quickly :(. I put a pair of jeans and a shirt on her yesterday and she looked like such a little girl. It was so sweet, and today I called Jason and she talked to him on the phone. Of course nobody has any idea what she was telling him, but she still was just yammering away. I can't wait till she starts doing her own laundry! Right now she just pulls all the clothes out of the dryer and puts them on the floor.

So today I have two awesome cards to show you. One from my new favorite stamp line Simply Sista's and one from MFT.

My first card is a card to encourage relaxation. I love this spa girl image (which is a Digi image, love it!) from Simply Sista's. She looks so relaxed, I wish I could trade places with her. Do you think if I gave this card to Jason he would give me a gift certificate to a day spa? Ooohh I am glad I thought of it. I am certainly going to try. On this card I actually used a sketch challenge from Stamping Bella. I wanted a card with a lot of layers that showed off the central image. I printed off this image on white card stock, and two pieces of design paper. I colored her skin in with my prisma color pencils along with the cucumbers over her eyes. Then I pieced together the chair and the bowl; I wanted pattern on these two surfaces. Then I took my liquid applique pen and applied this to the towel on her body and her head. I wanted it to look like terry cloth. Next time I think I will try flocking. I think she looks great. To finish off the card, I alternated layers of black card stock with layers of designer paper. For the sentiment, I stamped this with an alphabet set I have from stamping up. I then cut out the sentiment, a piece of black card stock and a piece of DP with my circle nestabilities. The flowers I yanked off a stalk of fake flowers and added a green diamond sticker to the center. For the background a wrapped a piece of white satin ribbon around a piece of black card stock I embossed with my branches embossing folder from Cuttlebug. When I get my card scents, I am going to add lilac to the card. I think I am actually going to make up a gift basket and include this card with it. Who should be the lucky recipient? I will take bribes.

Onto the second card. This one is titled, "Time for the Bubbly", this is actually the sentiment on the inside. Guess what, it is a Halloween card! I know, shocker. This card was created for a design challenge over at MFT stamps requiring paper piecing. Paper piecing is my absolute favorite technique. It is instant gratification. You have a built in design.


I started out by stamping the main image from Meet Me at the Cafe on a piece of white card stock, green card stock and 4 pieces of Halloween designer paper. I colored in the background, the witches' arms, and their legs with my Stampin' Write markers. Then I cut out the one witch's dress from a piece of designer paper and attached it to the white card stock. I repeated this process with the other witch's outfit, the table and chairs and the goblets. Next I stamped two witch hats and a broom from Totally Witchin', colored them in with my prismas and markers, cut them out and placed them around the witches. Next I stamped the bubbles from Time for the Bubbly on a piece of green card stock. I cut out a few bubbles and placed them so that they were coming out of the glasses. Next, I cut a piece of acetate to fit over the image and stamped the spiderweb from Totally Witchin' on the backside with Stazon ink. After it had dried. I added black card stock to the edges to frame out the window. I stamped the awning from Meet Me at the Cafe on 2 pieces of Halloween card stock. I then cut them out and alternated the two patterns. I aged it by sponging on some mellow moss ink. Next, I cut a piece of Halloween card stock for the "building", aged it with mellow moss and attached the image to the center. I popped off the lower part of the awning off the page and added two shutters I made out of perfect plum card stock and my markers. I popped those off the side also. I cut out a black fence using my fence punch and placed it under the window. I stamped the cauldron from Totally Witchin' on the back side of a piece of DP and cut it out. Next I stamped the bubbles from Time for the Bubbly on a piece of green card stock, cut it out and attached it to the cauldron. I added a touch of green goo, using my goo punch and green card stock then popped it off the page. Isn't it fabulous! I almost want to be a witch, no comments from the peanut gallery.

Now what you all have been waiting for, an Izzy picture!

What a ham!!!!!

I hope you have a great rest of the day and a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

I Am Queen of the World This Week!

It's just another manic Thursday, wish it were Friday! I love the song Manic Monday by the Bangles, now that song is stuck in my head. Anywhoo.....

Why do you ask am I queen of the world this week, well I will tell you. First, I discovered the most awesome new stamp company called Simply Sista's and Card Scents. They have some really great images and will soon be coming out with a whole bunch more. They have an accessory stamp line that has tons of household items and I need, need, need them. They also have card scents which allow you to scent your cards. How cool is that!!!!!!! I am so excited to place my scent order. But here is the best part for me, drum roll please..... You can order your stamps as Digi stamps. What pray tell is a Digi stamp? It is the coolest thing ever. You get your stamp images via e-mail and can print them off. Why would I want to do that?, you might be asking. First, if you are like me and can't wait to get your new images, you have instant gratification and can begin stamping right away. Second, you can change the size of the image. I know sometimes I see an image and wish it were a little bigger or a little smaller and this allows you to adjust that. See what I mean, awesome. You can check out their blog for more info and to see the cards I created using the new stamps.

So I actually now have five images from Simply Sista's on my computer and couldn't wait to get started.

I created this card using the image Bailey Jane and the stove and fridge stamps from Simply Sista's. Isn't she sweet. I made a mini diorama and placed it on a square black card. I added some decorative paper behind the image and finished off with a black with white polka dot organdy ribbon behind. To add dimension I popped off Bailey, the curtain and the sentiment. I finished off by adding an oven mitt button. I hope she is making something chocolate! Who am I kidding, of course she is!

The second card I created used a new stamp from Simply Sista's the bride.

I have been searching high and low for an image of a bride that is both elegant and modern and I finally found her!!!! I printed her off on a piece of white card stock and then printed her off again on a piece of designer paper. I colored in her body, hair, face, veil and flowers using my prisma color pencils. I then decided that her dress just wasn't popping enough and went over the design in the paper with a gold pencil and then glittered on top of it. I think it makes it look like embroidery. Next I added a touch of brown ribbon to the top of her dress. I think she looks breathtaking! I want that dress! I wonder if Jason would marry me again? Something to think about. I couldn't find matching designer paper that I liked in my stash so I created it out of brown card stock, my gold pencil again and my glitter pen. I just drew a random design that would somewhat match the dress. I finished up by mounting her on a piece of dark red card stock, made some picture corners and stuck them on, added diamond stickers and popped her off the card front. I am not sure if I am 100% happy with the layout, but I know I am 150% happy with the way she turned out. I think I am going to play with her image a lot more.

So now on to my second reason for being queen, I won some blog candy over at Lauren Meader's blog. It was MFT stamps release party last night and I won! I can't believe it, I am so excited!!!

Have a good rest of the day and thanks for stopping by!