LET'S GET PHYSICAL!

Most of you are not aware that this past December I ran my very first, and hopefully not my last, full marathon.  Yep, 26.2 miles of pure insanity in some of the worst weather ever.  I survived but have had some trouble getting my running mojo back.  I saw THIS EXAMPLE of an exercise journal on STAMPFAIRY'S blog and thought that maybe if I had a cute running journal it might help kick start my motivation.

The stamped image is called Barry Diet 1 from STAMPFAIRY. I colored the image with my Copics, added a few bits of scrap paper and added it all to a 50 cent notebook I picked up at Ben Franklin.I think it turned out super cute.  I also made one for my oldest daughter to help her get motivated in running with me. 

Starting today, I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things and start running again.

Hugs,

HIPPITY HOPPITY, EASTER'S ON IT'S WAY!

 Just a short and sweet post to share with you all that WHIMSIE DOODLES has a free bunny basket template available for download on their BLOG.  You can see my attempt at it in the above pic.  It was easy to put together and is perfect for a little treat.

In case you were wondering what was in my little bunny basket look at the picture below.  Just how stinking cute are these Ghirardelli chocolates?!?!  I found them at Target and could not resist them.  Two of these chocolates fit perfectly in the bunny basket.

You only have a few days left before Easter so hurry on over to WHIMSIE DOODLES and grab your template while you can!

BIRTHDAY BUTTERFLY - CARD

Occasionally, my daughter, Brittany and I like to put our two hobbies together for a combined gift to a loved one.  I dabble in paper and stamps and she is talented in the baking department.  When a birthday pops up we like to pick a theme for that person.  I make the card and she makes some kind of wonderful baked goodness to go with it. 

This year for a friend's birthday we decided on butterflies and color.  My card is a CASE'd creation from a card I found on Pinterest.  The original creator is Tracey Cuccia.  You can see her beautiful creation HERE.  Some white cardstock, colored scraps, a few rhinestones and a butterfly punch is all it took to complete. 

You can take a peek at Britt's blog, LOVIN' FROM THE OVEN, to see the gorgeous and yummy cookies that she made to go along with this card.  She did a really great job!!

Happy Monday!!

HONEY POP EASTER - CARD

 

I will start this blog post by saying, I am SO in love with the inside of this card!!  I have never seen the inside of a card done like this before.  I discovered it while on a recent trip to my LSS.  I'm sure it's old news as I am always WAY behind on what is trending in the card making/scrapbooking world. 

 

This card was created using the INKY ANTICS HoneyPOP clear stamp collection - Basket Bunny.  The set comes with 15 clear stamps and I used 14 of them to create this card.  Every little image; the grass, the flower, the butterfly, each of the eggs, etc. is a separate stamp.  The set includes a stamp (in this case the basket) that you stamp on the Honeycomb Paper Pad to get the 3-D effect.  It was a lot of work with the stamping and cutting for a simple card with very little detail, but it was really easy to put together.

 

I'm thinking that I need to purchase a few more of these sets.  They would make fun cards for children, don't you think?

 



 

SCRAPBOOK ROOM RE-DO

 

 

I can not even begin to tell you how excited I am that I do not have a crafty post to share with you all today.  No crafty post because my scrapbook room has been emptied and torn apart for two whole weeks.  I should be upset but I'm not because look at what my sweet hubby has done for me!!!!  New flooring!  Bye bye yucky carpet, hello gorgeous!!  LOL 

 

The new flooring is done and I am slowly moving things back into the room.  I say slowly because I am taking my time going through every little thing before putting it away, dusting and reorganizing. 

 

I am loving my room re-do and can not wait to share some pictures when I get it put back together this weekend.

 

HANG TEN BIRTHDAY - CARD

Just how cute is this little surfer Anya image?!  I got her for Christmas and could not wait to ink her up!!  I decided to use her on a birthday card for a sweet friend who happens to be a very cool chick, just like Anya here. 

Surfer Anya can be purchased from THE GREETING FARM.  They are one of my most favorite stamp companies! The palm tree and sun were cut from the Life's a Beach Cricut cartridge.  The tree was cut at 4 1/2 inches and the sun at 1 inch.  I added a little Glossy Accents to her Surfboard and popped up the flower in her hair.  Do you like the little buttons?  They were a impulse purchase while on a recent trip to my LSS.  I just couldn't pass up those little sunglasses. 

HOP, SKIP & JUMP - CARD

 

This card was the fastest card I have ever put together....EVER!  I'm thinking I need to make a few more to add to my card box for those unexpected birthdays that always seem to pop up.  The image is a digi stamp that I found on a freebie digi site some time ago.  I neglected to make note of where it came from at the time I downloaded it.  :(  I hate when I do that because I like to give credit to those whose images I use.  So if anyone in blogland knows who makes this image could you please let me know so I can give proper credit?

I quickly colored the image in with my Copics, matted and punched a border in black and then added a few rhinestones.  It literally took me ten minutes, if that, to make this card. 

I realized in trying to get a decent photo of this card that I really really hate taking photos of white cards. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT - CARD

 

 

This is another CASE creation.  I discovered THIS card on Pinterest and fell in love with it right away.  It's so simple and festive.  I love the bright colors that Laura Bassen used on her card.  However, considering I had to make a birthday card for my BIL, I decided to stick with more of a monotone look.

The circle punches and my BIL's name were cut out of paint sample cards that I had on hand.  Takes the guess work out of whether or not the blues I picked out looking good together.  I used the Diesel font from Quickutz for the name and a $1 Studio G stamp for the sentiment. 

This card would be cute in reds or pinks with little hearts instead of dots for that special someone, I'm thinking.  Make sure to check out Laura's BLOG, she has some really beautiful creations.

A STITCHED BIRTHDAY - CARD

 

The first thing I do when making a card is reach for my stamps.  If I want to do something different, then I reach for my Cricut.  I'm a creature of habit.  Even though I tell myself I should think outside the box and try a new technique, I cave and take the easy route.  I decided with the new year I am going to challenge myself to try some new techniques and learn some new skills. 

 

This card was completely out of my comfort zone.  No ink, no stamped images, no coloring, no die cuts, no decorative papers....what's a girl to do?  I was looking at my Oriental Trading Punch and Stitch border stencils when an idea came to me.  I ran with it, I think it was a bit of a stretch but I also think it works.  I used three different flourishes from the stencil to create what I think looks like a flower and butterfly.  Like I said a bit of a stretch, but maybe if you squint a little you'll see it as I do. I hand stitched it, added a $1 Studio G sentiment and a little bling. 

 

It's a little simple and plain for my tastes but it is something new for me, and that was the challenge.  What should I try next?  Any suggestions??



HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY - CARD

 

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope everyone is well rested from their weekend.  I am bummed that our vacation is over. That means I have to cook our meals and make my own bed now.  :P  So this will be a super short post as I need to get ready for all my daycare babes to show up this morning.

 

Here is my final Valentine's card that I have to share.  This one was made for my oldest daughter Brittany.  It was really quick to throw together.  A few heart brads, a rub-on and a sentiment stamp is all it took.

Thanks for stopping by,

LOVE - CARD

I hope everyone is enjoying their week.  As you read this the family and I are enjoying our vacation at California Adventures in Disneyland.  Our favorite ride is the California Screamin' roller coaster.  You start off at a complete stand still, they count you down for the blast off and then you literally shoot off like a rocket.  You have to be careful to keep your head back or you can get some serious whiplash upon takeoff.  I LOVE that ride!!

The card I am sharing with you today is a Valentine's card that I made for my youngest daughter, Caitlin.  The patterned paper is from my scrap stash and the sentiment is a rub-on. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their quiet Thursday....I'm sure to be screaming my head off like I am being chased by zombies as I am riding California Screamin'!!  ;)

FOREVER & ALWAYS - CARD

I know Valentine's Day is over and done with, however I have three more cards to share with you that I could not post earlier so that my husband and daughters would not see them prior to me giving them out on Valentine's. 

Today, I am sharing my husband's card with you.  How darling is this image??  I stumbled across this free digi image by accident while on Pinterest.  HERE is the link to all four adorable digi images provided by Shery K Designs.  My original plan for this card was to have it only be one layer with just the stamped image and a sentiment.  I was happy with the finished coloring product until I decided to add in some shading between the two and that's when I totally screwed it up and had to cut them out and change direction to save the image.  I'm still happy with it even though it is not what I had in mind. 

As you are reading this the family and I are headed out for our annual trip to Disneyland!!  I am so excited. So I will be MIA from visiting your blogs until I return.

Have a GREAT week!!

TEST TUBE TREAT HOLDERS

 

 

As promised on yesterday's blog post, here are the holders for the test tube treats.  These were really quick and easy to whip up and I only used scraps from my scrap stash to make them.  You can find the directions and the template I used for making them HERE.  The link will take you to Lisa's blog and to her most recent post, however on her left hand sidebar you will find the link to the test tube holder templates. 

The images used on all three of my holders are from WHIMSIE DOODLES.  They are one of my favorite sites for digi images.  As a side note, I would like to thank my daughter, Brittany, for the photos you have seen on my blog recently.  She has volunteered herself as my project photographer.  She does a much better job at it than I do and has more patience for it.  Thanks Britt!!

Oh and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

 

TEST TUBE TREATS

 

 

 

Ughh, I hate how dark this picture turned out. No matter what I did or how many times I took and re-took it, it turned out terrible. 

 

These are just a couple of the MANY test tube treats I whipped up for my daycare children, past and present.  The tags, which I colored in with Copic markers, are from WHIMSIE DOODLES. They have lots and lots of adorable digi images. 

 

I think the tags are cute but stop by tomorrow to see the test tube treat holders that I made up for my niece and nephew.  They are super easy to make and are totally adorable. 

 

Until tomorrow,

BE MINE - CARD

 

 

 



 

The minute I saw THIS CARD on Pinterest, created by Chat Wszelaki, I knew I would have to recreate it.  It's clean, simple, elegant and just gorgeous.  A perfect card for my hubby!! 

The black paper has very subtle stripes that add a bit of class.  The sentiment is a rub-on and the smallest heart is a brad that I had in my stash.  A very simple card to put together. 

Until next time,

VALENTINE'S TREAT BOX

 

I have always loved the idea of getting a heart shaped candy box, taking out the candy, and filling the box with trinkets or goodies for my girls that are not candy related.   When I saw THIS adorable box on Frances's blog I knew I wouldn't have to subject myself to the grueling task of eating all those chocolates, even though it was a torture I was willing to endure.  ;)

 

Frances gives a really great video tutorial and her box is so stinking cute!!!  The stamped image on my project is from Whipper Snapper Designs and is called "Bo Bunny".  The patterned paper is from my scrap stash and the sentiment is a $1 Studio G stamp. 

 

Instead of candy I filled the box up with Disney trading pins for both girls for our upcoming Disneyland trip.  The whole family collects pins and we are obsessed with pin trading and anything Disney.  I think I was Minnie Mouse in a prior life. 

 

ROBOTIC VALENTINE - CARD

 





Here is a card that I made for my little nephew for Valentine's Day.  I kind of struggled with this one.  It's hard not to make super cute, AKA girly, Valentine's for boys. 

Both the image and the sentiment came from a LSS grab bag of miscellaneous stamps so I am not aware of what company they are from.  If anyone knows who makes them, please let me know so I can include their info in my post.  A few scraps from my scrap stash, a couple metal gears, some Glossy Accents and a few new Doodlebug heart gems that I purchased this weekend and this card came together quickly. 

Thanks bunches for stopping by!

HEDGEHOG LOVE - CARD

 

How cute are these little guys?!!  I have not used these stamps in FOREVER and seriously had to dig them out of the bottom of my stamp drawer and blow a layer of dust off of them.  I think they are perfect for my niece's Valentine's card. 

The stamps are called "Every Which Way" from Penny Black.  The patterned paper and cardstock are from my scrap stash.  I added a little Glossy Accents to the hearts and a few Doodlebug heart gems that I just recently purchased. 

If you notice that my posts are more frequent than usual it's because I have a avalanche of Valentine's project's that I have created that I want to share prior to Valentine's day. 


 

GARLAND OF HEARTS

 

 



Some of you may remember about a week ago I posted THIS heart wreath that I was inspired to make from one I saw and fell in love with on Pinterest.  I mentioned that I would try my hand at a felt garland that I also found on Pinterest....well here it is!  Isn't it cute?!

My daughter, Caitlin, did the sewing portion of this project as I do not know my way around a sewing machine to save my life.  Which is awful because I would really love to start sewing on my cards and layouts.  Anyways, she did the sewing and I did the cutting and stringing.  It was so easy, only took a hour to do and cost under $2 to make. 

HERE is a link to the picture tutorial.  Please note that the site is in Japanese but based on the pics provided you should be able to complete it no problem.  If I can do it, anyone can.  **PLEASE NOTE: do not use the stiffer felt.  I tried the stiffer felt at first thinking it would hold the heart shape better.  It does not, it stays flat and does not conform to the heart shape at all.  Just a little FYI. 

I am entering this project into the following challenge:
DECORATE TO CELEBRATE  -  Challenge #44 Valentine/Love

Happy Wednesday!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY - CARD

 







Short and sweet blog post today.

Here is a Valentine's card that I made last year that I never got around to sharing.  Simple layout consisting of some patterned paper, a bit of ribbon and lots of heart punches.

Like I said, short and sweet.   ;)

VALENTINE'S - CARD

 

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought I would share another Valentine's Day card.  The inspiration for this card came from several versions of it that I saw on Pinterest.  I have mentioned how obsessed I am with Pinterest right? 

 

A little bit of embossing, a few heart punches and a border punch and this card came together quickly. 

 

I'm off to spend some more time on Pinterest.  If anyone loves buffalo wings, you should try the "Crispy Buffalo Chicken Strips" recipe floating around on Pinterest....to DIE for!!