TIME TO GROW - CARD

I am a creature of habit.  I tend to create the same type of cards using the same type of stamps from my favorite companies.  I always reach for my Anya stamps from the GREETING FARM or my WHIMSIE DOODLES digi images.  I think it's because I am more comfortable with coloring these images with my Copics as I have had more practice with them.  Give me something new and I freak out a little, stressed that the coloring is not going to be up to par.   I told myself that this year I was going to broaden my horizons and venture out and try new stamp companies.  So when my LSS had a sidewalk clearance sale I decided to seize the day and purchase stamps that I might not normally purchase....and at a fraction of the cost, I might add.  ;)

You know what??  I didn't freak out... and I am actually in love with this stamp.  The image is from the SWALK (Sealed With a Little Kiss) line from Santoro.  I just love the sweet little faces of these images. 

So tell me, what stamp company or technique is your go to? 

SUGARPEA DESIGNS CHALLENGE #1 - ANYTHING GOES

How stinking cute is this image from SUGARPEA DESIGNS?  I am so excited for my friend Wendy who is the owner of this new stamp company.  I wish her all the best on this new adventure.  With stamps this adorable her company should be very successful!!

SUGARPEA DESIGNS is currently holding their very first challenge and it's an anything goes challenge.  You can find out all the information HERE on how to participate.  For my entry I used the adorable PIZZA MY HEART stamp set.  This image is perfect for my hubby who is the biggest fan of pizza I know.

BIRTHDAY WISHES - CARD

Hi everyone, it's Thursday which means one day closer to Friday, which is one day closer to the weekend!!  Wooo hooo!!  I plan on getting lots of crafting done this weekend so I am really looking forward to it.

A quick birthday card to share with you all today using a freebie image I downloaded from WHIMSIE DOODLES.  They are another one of my favorite stamps sites! She was super fun to color using my Copics and I added a little detail to the hem of her dress and sleeves with my white gel pen.

It appears that Blogger once again is being a pain and won't work with the links that I add to my blog posts.  Is anyone else having this problem?  Or am I just Blogger challenged.  I swear I think I'm doing it right.  :D 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY - CARD

 

Happy Monday everybody!!  I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing weekend full of crafting.

For those of you that have followed my blog for a little while, you know how much I hate trying to create boy/masculine cards....hate with a passion!!  No sparkle, no bling and well, they just aren't as cute in my opinion.  However, I am really happy with how this birthday card turned out.  How cute is this digi image from BUGABOO?!!!  I just loved coloring him in and I think he will work well for a toddler's birthday card, don't you?  The sentiment is from LAWN FAWN, a newly discovered company to me.  Love all of their stuff...LOVE! 

Thanks for stopping by and as always I am looking forward to checking out every one's blogs to see what you all have been up to. 

EGGS TO DIE FOR - LO

Another Easter LO of photos of past daycare children and coloring Easter eggs with them.  It's bittersweet to look at these older photos of them and realize that they are now in the 4th and 5th grade and that I don't see their faces on a daily basis anymore.  At the same time it's great to see them now and again and see what amazing little people they are becoming.  Time goes by so fast.

Happy Wednesday!!

EGGS OF MANY COLORS - LO

 

 

 

 

This year I am challenging myself to complete more scrapbooking layouts.  I can not even begin to tell you all how far behind I am on my scrapbooking.

This LO is a little step back into memory lane for me.  The little boy in the picture is no longer in my daycare as he has been in school for many years, however I now have his two year old brother, whom I absolutely ADORE!!!  I have many of the same pictures of his little brother that I need to get to scrapbooking soon....like before he starts college :P

CUPCAKE ANYA BIRTHDAY - CARD

Does my blog avatar look familiar?  Right now this Cupcake Anya image from THE GREETING FARM is my new favorite!!  She's  too cute and easy to color.  If I do say so myself, I think I am getting slightly better with the whole brush stroke thing in the coloring of her hair.  I still need ton more practice but I think the coloring of this image is greatly improved compared to my much earlier colorings using Copics.  If anyone has some great Copic coloring tutorial videos that they can suggest, I would certainly appreciate it.  There are so many great sources of inspiration out in the crafting world and I am always looking for ways to improve.  :)

So blogger is being a serious pain and will not link up the Greeting Farm website.  You can find a link for them to the right of my blog under "Blogs I Love to Stalk" and "Places I Love to Shop"...sigh.

A COLORFUL BIRTHDAY - CARD

 

Yep, I'm back again.  There seems to be a pattern to my blogging activity.  I start off really great at the beginning of the new year, and then totally die off between May and June.  Then nothing again until January.  This year I'm going to challenge myself to be active until at least July.  LOL  We will see how that goes.  ;)

Super quick and easy birthday card for you today.  The idea for this card was CASE'd from Michelle of PRETTY PERIWINKLES blog.  She has a lot of really adorable cards on her blog. 

It's great to have my crafting mojo up and running again.  I'm looking forward to checking out every one's blogs to see what you all have been creating!!

RAIN OR SHINE - CARD

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend!!  I have a quick card to share with you all.  I purchased this stamp set last weekend while at my LSS.  I could not wait to get the chance to play with it.  I'm also really digging paper piecing images lately.  Makes for a quick card.

The stamped image is Puddle Jumper from MY FAVORITE THINGS.  The patterned paper is from my scrap stash and the pearls are from K&Company.  I didn't like the look of the white pearls so I colored them with my Copics to make them match my patterned paper.  I also didn't have the right colored twine, so I colored it as well. 

Well I'm off to spend more time in my craft studio.  I hope everyone finds a little time to create today as well.

JUST A LITTLE FUN COLORING - CARDS

Just a quick post to show you all what I completed this weekend.  I took my first ever Copic class on Saturday and completed these simple cards.  I am looking forward to taking another one real soon that hopefully is a little more advanced.  I was hoping to learn about shadowing, coloring hair and skin, etc.  However what I signed up for was Copic 101.  The class did have a few good tips but was not what I was looking for. Oh, and taking a Copic class WILL NOT help you learn to color inside the lines...don't look too closely at my cards.  ;)

The stamped images were pre-stamped and were given to me in a kit, so I am not sure who they're made by.  I think the instructor said it's a stamp/die combo set. Anyways, it's a gorgeous set and I think I need it. 

Happy Tuesday!!

LATTE FUN - CARD

I have been wanting this Latte Anya stamp from THE GREETING FARM forever.  Every time I went to order it, it was on back order.  Then I requested it for Christmas, alas on back order again.  I finally got her for my birthday several weeks ago and I LOVE her!!  She is my new favorite stamp.  I should mention that I did find her two weeks ago at my LSS, after trying for months to buy her on-line.  Go figure :P

You can find the tutorial for this k-cup holder created by Lori Tecler HERE.  The tutorial is for a 2 k-cup caddy. I wanted mine to hold 4 so I made two holders and then glued the backs together.  Here is a LINK for the  template for the card fold I used.  All of the patterned paper used for both the card and the holder is from the Paper Studio.

I am so excited for this little gift and card pairing.  I love how they turned out and can't wait to give them away!!

Challenges that I am entering this project into:
*THE GREETING FARM: FFF PAPER PIECING

HIP, HIP HOORAY!! - CARD

A quick card that I whipped up for one of my neighbors who is having a birthday this weekend. 

The image is called "Birthday Bear" and is a WHIPPER SNAPPER DESIGNS image.  I have had this stamp FOREVER and I believe this is the first time that I have inked it up.  Because the image is so large I decided to keep the LO of the card very simple.  The image was colored with Copics, a little bit of stickles and I added a few strips of glitter ribbon from American Crafts.  Doesn't get any easier. 

Happy Saturday!!

JUST CLOWNING AROUND - CARD

It was love at first sight when I saw this stamp set from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS at my LSS.  Seriously, just how cute are these guys?!!  There are a few more images that came with the set that I did not use for this card.  I wanted to try to squeeze them all on this card somehow, they are that cute!

The images were colored in with Copics and the little clown car was paper pieced.  I added stickles after this pic was taken to the hats and juggling balls.  The tutorial for this tri-shutter card fold can be found HERE. 

I hope everyone is having a great week so far and for all of my blogging Mommy friends out there, have a wonderful Mother's Day on Sunday!!  I plan on spending the entire day tinkering in my scrapbook room!!

MAKE A WISH - CARD

Short and sweet post today.  A real quick and simple card that I made for a sweet child that used to attend my daycare.  Why is it that I never feel older when my birthdays come up, but my children or my daycare children's birthdays?  Yeah that's when I feel really old!!

This cutie patootie stamp is Simply Anya from THE GREETING FARM.  I received her last month for my birthday and could not wait to ink her up.  I can see so many occasions where I can use this image. 

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!!

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS - CARD

 

So what happens when you realize at the VERY last minute you forgot to make your daughter's birthday card that you have been planning for weeks to make??!  You ditch your original idea of a card and go with plan B.  Plan B is to quickly throw something together that involves very little work.  

 

Brittany LOVES Mary Poppins!  So when I saw KRAFTIN' KIMMIE STAMPS came out with THIS Mary Poppins stamp I knew that I would have to make her a birthday card with it.  Like I said this card was not in my original plan.  I really wanted to play with coloring her up, but I knew with very little time left to make it, I would stress myself out if I rushed to color it.  I'm kinda weird like that ;)

 

The image is stamped on kraft paper, on white for the clouds and on some patterned paper for her umbrella and carpet bag.  I'm not quite sure if I like the card or not as it is not my style, kind of plain and very little color, but my daughter loved it so all is good.

 

Here is a picture of Brittany with Mary Poppins from our trip to Disneyland a few months ago.  You can just see in her face how happy she is to be standing next to Mary.  She may have just turned 23...but she is still 5 to me in this picture.  :)

A HEDGEHOG BIRTHDAY - CARD

 

I swear spring cleaning the scrapbook room is like going on a treasure hunt.  All of the loot that I discovered that has been buried and unused is ridiculous.  I found this image from a stamp image swap that I participated in many years ago.  I literally had to blow the dust off of this image before coloring it.  I seriously wish I owned this stamp because it is a cutie.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting.  All of your comments and feedback is so greatly appreciated!

BEACH FUN - LO

The hardest part of this LO was taking the photos.  Nothing like tempting fate while standing on a rolling chair on new wood floors trying to snap that perfect photo.  I guess you can say I like to live on the edge.  I hate taking photos of LO's.  They don't fit in my light box, the light is never great for taking pics when I get around to doing it, and there's also that whole tempting fate thing.

This was a quick and simple LO of our trip to the beach last year with our niece and nephew.  I used a few different Cricut carts to complete it.  The title was cut using Pack Your Bags cartridge at 2".  I altered the title a bit as it had a chair and bucket attached to it, but it looked a little busy to me. So I cut them off.  The sun is from the Doodle Charms cart cut at 2", the ball and bucket were both cut from the Simply Charmed cart.  The ball at 3 1/2' and the bucket at 4 1/2".

I'm hoping someone out there has a easier way to photo LO's.  Any suggestions?  How do you all do it?  Or does everyone risk life and limb and stand on a rolling chair like me?

A DIFFERENT KIND OF STAMP FOR ME

If you were to take inventory of my stamp collection you would discover that I tend to go for the more "chunky/cutesier" stamps.  Stamps that are chunky are easier to color.  I tend to stay away from stamps that have little or very narrow room for coloring.  I'm a three year old at heart and have trouble coloring in the lines ;)  I have no idea who makes this stamp as it is a unmounted rubber stamp that I purchased at a garage sale.  I still have no idea why I bought it, as it is not the norm that I go for, it just somehow spoke to me.

I realize that I need more practice with my Copics, but overall I am happy with the finished product.  I'm signing up for a Copic class in May at my LSS and am hoping that it gives me the confidence in my coloring to broaden my horizons in regards to the stamps I tend to purchase.  In the mean time, practice, practice, practice.  

BIRTHDAY HUGS & FISHES - CARD

Anyone that has followed my blog from the beginning will know that this mermaid stamp, from THE GREETING FARM, is my most used and abused stamp.  I don't think I can ever get tired of coloring this image. 

One of my sweet daycare babes turned 4 over the weekend.  For her birthday we bought her a Little Mermaid toy.  So, it was a no brainer that I would once again reach for this stamp to go with her gift.

All die cuts were cut using the Paper Doll Dress Up Cricut cartridge.  The shell was cut at 4 3/4",  the orange coral at 4" and the green coral at 3 1/4".   All the images were colored using Copic markers.  I couldn't resist adding a little bling to Mermaid Anya's hair.  Do you like the little sea creature images?  They were a lucky find last weekend in the clearance section at Michael's.  They are called Ocean Friends from Recollections.  There are several more little creatures in the set. 

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!  I can't wait for the weekend as my LSS is having a huge Saturday sale and I have been squirreling moola away like a mad woman for a little shopping excursion.  :D  Hurry up weekend!!

Challenges that I am entering this project into:
*THE GREETING FARM: FARM FRESH FRIDAY - BLING IT!

SOAK UP SOME FUN - CARD

Have you ever made a card or a project that you were so tickled with that you wanted to keep it for yourself?  This was that project for me!!  However, it was for a very dear friend's birthday so I JUST had to give it to her...darn it.

The inspiration for my card came from a blog that I umm, stalk, I mean follow regularly.  Sheri of  PAPER CRAFTY'S CREATIONS is truly talented!!  She creates some of the cutest cards ever!!  When I saw THIS card on her blog, I fell in love.  I adore WHIMSIE DOODLES' images and knew that the Bubble Leah digi image would be perfect for my gift of bath goodies for my friend. 

The image was colored in with Copics. I then added a little stickles to the bubbles and some Glossy Accents to the champagne glass.  I also used A LOT of bling on this card.  If you read my previous blog post, you'll know I had to make up for the masculine card that I was forced to make. 

For the gift bag I just enlarged the image and printed it out twice.  Once on my white cardstock for coloring and again on my patterned paper for her towels and bath rug.  Oh and I added lots of bling to the bag as well.  I went a little bling crazy.

I seriously hope my friend likes this as she almost did not get it.  Don't forget to stop by Sheri's BLOG to check out all of the cuteness she has going on there.