Hi stampers!  Happy Easter Sunday!  I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed holiday with friends and family.  Christ our Lord is risen today and it's a time for new beginnings.  I have some things I need to work on personally so it's time to begin anew (after I eat all the yummy food at lunch today including maybe a dozen of my FIL's deviled eggs, hehe).  Obviously one of those things is eating better after my previous statement :-)

I'm a little sad that I'm going to miss my mom's first time hosting a family lunch at her new house but we had already made plans with Jon's family and my mom kind of decided to do it late in the game.  I hope she's not stressing out too much...but I'm sure she is :-)  And I am excited to be able to hang out all afternoon with my in-law's little puppy!

Speaking of cute and cuddly little creatures.....here's a cute little card I made a while ago for a color challenge that I never got around to posting.  And good news about these bunnies and the other single stamps....you can still get them!  They have extended the promotion!  Yay!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Ears to you (single stamp), teeny tiny wishes
Paper:  Whisper white, crumb cake, raspberry ripple, tea for two DSP
Ink:  Crumb cake, calypso coral
Accessories:  Doilies, frames embossing folder, raspberry ripple stitched satin ribbon, basic pearls

I loved the colors of this challenge...too bad I didn't enter it :-)   I also really love those doilies!  My favorite thing to do is cut them down.  I've had some questions about how I do it which kind of makes me giggle.  I don't have any secret tip or trick....I just chop em up with my scissors or my paper trimmer:-)  If I don't like the shape I keep cutting or save it for something else.  Don't be afraid to make mistakes in crafting because most of the time you can either fix it or use it on something else...or mistakes can create GENIUS sometimes totally by accident too!  And by the way, you get a LOT of these doilies in a pack so don't be afraid to cut and experiment!  You've got a lot to work with!

Ok, time to try to motivate myself to run off all the eggs in advance....again Happy Easter my friends!

Happy stamping....and egg hunting!

Hi stampers!  WOW!  Fifteen challenges already!  Thanks to everyone who has made Fab Friday a success!  We love seeing everyone's entries and you all make it really hard to chose our faves!!!  We hope you look forward to the challenges as much as we do!

This week it's time for a sketch and it's pretty clean and simple!

I have to say that I REALLY like....well...more like LOVE the card I came up for this one.  I sort of wanted to save it for the Artisan contest but alas I couldn't wait to share it, hehe!  It's always a nice feeling to love a card you make rather then the usual, "eh, it's ok" feeling I get a lot, lol!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  March 2013 my paper pumpkin
Paper:  Crumb cake, pool party, first edition DSP, sunshine & sprinkles DSP
Ink:  Crumb cake, so saffron, calypso coral, island indigo
Accessories:  Calypso coral ruffled ribbon, vintage faceted buttons, linen thread, honeycomb embossing folder

You may want to click on it to see it bigger..this small picture doesn't do it justice, lol!  Not to toot my own horn or anything but I REALLY like this card :-D  And I'm SO happy it looks like we are getting to keep pool party!  I won't have to go into mourning after all!!!!

Ok, make sure you stop by the site and check out all the design team cards and then play along!  I'm off to stamp that cute little stamp on anything I can find, hehe!

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  Ok, I have a confession!  I'm sort of obsessed with a few things:

1 - The "hey there friend" and splatter stamp from the March My Paper Pumpkin kit!  I LOVE them and can't stop using them on everything...the dog better look out, lol!

2 - The Oh, Hello stamp set.  I seriously can't seem to use any other set the last few days!

3 - The natural ribbon from the spring catalog that looks like burplap.  I mentioned on my FB page the other day that I can't believe I waited so long to get it.  I shied away because while I love burlap it's scratchy and smells funny (lol) but this ribbon is super soft and I LURVE it!

So all these obsessions are leading me to making basically the SAME card over and over, lol!  But as long as I like them I guess that's not so bad, right?  Here's a couple:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: March 2013 my paper pumpkin
Paper:  Very vanilla, crumb cake, island indigo, tea for two DSP
Ink:  Crumb cake, so saffron, island indigo, calypso coral
Accessories:  Flower trim, basic pearls, lace tape, calypso coral and island indigo ruffled ribbon, natural trim, ovals framelits

Ack!  I just love that chevron with that stamp!  I did stamp off once with the coral ink so it's a bit softer.  And you see my nice little flowers?  I colored them with our inks and a dauber.  The lace tape is a bit stark I thought after the fact but I guess it's ok.  I finally broke down and bought some of that too....
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  March 2013 my paper pumpkin, oh hello
Paper:  Very vanilla, crumb cake, sunshine and sprinkles DSP
Ink:  Crumb cake, daffodil delight, calypso coral, island indigo
Accessories:  Pop-up posies kit, ovals framelits, naturals trim

See my pretty little yellow brad?  I colored one of the white ones from the posies kit so it would match. It was easy with a sponge and some ink!  Also, see how my chevron oval looks a little distressed?  It's because I inked it with a sponge and then stamped off a bit for a softer look.

There are more but I'll save them for another day:-)  Tomorrow's Fab Friday post may look oddly similar too, lol!  I don't want to call it a rut because I'm really enjoying using these things and the finished products but does anyone else do this sometimes?  Get kind of stuck on using certain things and making versions of one project???

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  So I finally broke down and got the animal talk set with my last SAB order and I thought it would be the perfect set to use for this cute sketch at Retro Sketches!   It's such a cute and fun little set.


I kept the colors springy which I think we could all use as I sit here looking out the back sliders at ALL the snow, ugh!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Animal talk
Paper:  Whisper white, pool party, lucky limeade, primrose petals coredinations, 2011-2013 in colors DSP stack
Ink:  Pool party, lucky limeade, primrose petals (markers)
Accessories:  Woodgrain embossing folder, perfect pennants die, circle punch, SAB ribbon & button pack (retired), in color daliahs, pool party ruffled ribbon, primrose petals stitched satin ribbon, linen thread

Here's to hoping all the snow melts!

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  Happy Tuesday!  It's time for another challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  It's a great clean and simple sketch this week which of course we all know I love!


I kept it pretty straightforward.  I also couldn't resist using the now retired (super sad face here) sycamore street DSP.  I think it may be my all time favorite DSP EVER!  You may see it around here now and then :-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Oh, hello
Paper:  Very vanilla, sahara sand, so saffron, sycamore street DSP (retired SAB)
Ink:  Sahara sand, so saffron, calypso coral
Accessories:  Labels collection and oval framelits, honeycomb embossing folder

I was inspired at regionals to use the oh, hello set.  They used the flower a lot by stamping it full strength and then stamping again without re-inking.  It looks really great that way!  I'm also loving the ovals framelits!  I haven't used ovals much in my stamping but I'm really liking the shape for spring!

Now make sure to go check out the rest of the design team submissions and play along with us!  We'd love to see what you come up with!

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  And no, I'm not talking about skiing....here in the midwest we got 14 inches of snow yesterday.  I'm probably stuck at home today because they haven't plowed our street yet and people keep getting stuck.  I KNOW my car which is rear wheel drive (sadly) won't make it down the street.  The main roads are fine but we live smack in the middle of our street so I'd have to get through a LOT of snow.  I'm supposed to have a meeting and considering trying to walk to it since it's close-ish to my house but I'm not sure my boots are tall enough to keep the snow off my feet :-)  I don't think I'll be covering my baseball game tonight either, ha!  So, I might be having a snow day....in March...almost April.  Yuck!

So, how about some springy bunnies?  I need something cheery and springy today!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Ears to you
Paper:  Whisper white, crumb cake, calypso coral
Ink:  Pink pirouette, calypso coral, lucky limeade (markers)
Accessories:  Paper piercing pack, subtles buttons, baker's twine, basic pearls

It's hard to see but a couple of my bunnies have little cotton tails make out of pearls :-)  Ok, I'm off to look out the window again to see if the street has magically cleared up...I keep doing it even though I know it's wishful thinking :-)

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  I'm back from the St. Louis regional event a little earlier than planned.  I went down on Friday with my mom (she likes to tag along places with me and explore or even just hang out at the hotel and read and relax...although she's retired she seems to be busier than when she worked, lol) and we planned on staying last night as well and then heading back today.  Well, with this snow we were supposed to (and are) getting we thought it best to get out of Dodge last night.  My mom had asked earlier if we could get out of our second night and the lady said no and was snippy with her.  Well, I checked out with a nice young man (who helped us last night when our room locked us out for almost an hour...so maybe that had something to do with it) and he didn't charge me for our second night!  Yay for nice people!!!!

So, I drove us back to her farm and we spent the night there instead and I got up early and came home this morning.  I beat most of the snow and bad weather...it's snowing a LOT here right now and she just texted me that it's bad there and there is crazy lightning and thunder snow!!!  I think she just lost power:(  I really do like it there but there are definitely times I'm glad I live in the "city" lol!  So, I didn't have much time to spend with my stampy friends but it was still fun!  So, if you were there and I didn't get to chat I'm sorry!  And thanks to all of you who found me and had kind words to say about my blog and my artwork!  It means the world to me!!!!  I have to say my mom was more than a little freaked out when we checked out as multiple people were asking me if I was Mindy, lol!  She was all, "How do these people know who you are?"  LOL!!!!

Oh, and there was a comic con at the convention center as well which made for GREAT people watching, lol!  Of course since my hubby is a bit of a Star Wars geek I knew exactly what was going on when I saw a few people in costume but it was funny to watch some of the stampers try to figure out what was going on, lol!  A Ghostbuster checked into the hotel right behind me and I saw at least three Captain America's..... :-)

Anyway, I didn't take many pictures.  The day just went so fast!  So, I'll have to share something I already had made and lying around here:-)

...application...try out?  Hi stampers!  So Stampin' Up is looking for display stampers for future events!  How fun!  Of course I have to audition or apply or try out...what to call it?  Hehe!  This has been a good warm up for the Artisan contest of as well.  We have to submit 3 cards, 2 3-D items and a scrap page....so here are my entries (warning...this is kind of long)!

This little box was inspired by the one in the catalog but I wanted to take it a little further.  So, I used the yummy pool party embossing powder to dress up the bottom of the box a little (I can't tell you how much I love that stuff).  I also jazzed up the flower a bit by poking the brad through not only the pool party flower but one of the little flower trim flowers as well.  I think it's so cute!  I also added a little ribbon leaf.  It's such a cute little box and really didn't take 5 minutes to put together even with the embossing with a little help from my SAMJ!
For my second 3-D item I have another flower item but it's spring or at least it's supposed to be even if it doesn't feel it weather wise and spring means flowers!  And flowers make me think of my momma so I made her a fabric brooch for Mother's Day.  The more amore fabric was perfect because her favorite colors are red and blue.  The silicone craft mat made this so easy to put together with a little hot glue!
Stampin' Supplies:
Accessories:  More amore designer fabric, sycamore street ribbon & button pack (SAB), large basic pearls, gumball green stitched satin ribbon, fun flowers die

I'm kind of on a roll with the pop up posies kit!  It's probably one of my favorite items in the mini catalog and maybe one of my top picks of all time!  It's just so fun and cute and can be used in so many more ways than just some tags!  So, I decided I'd try to use parts of it on most of my projects.

As soon as I saw the little "cupcake liner" flowers I immediately thought of one of my all time favorite flowers...the daffodil.  So of course I had to make my own daffodil.  It makes the perfect Easter card!
I love this next card and the bottle caps!  They are so fun to smash in the big shot and then pop something fun into the middle!  I also love the little pennant stamp from collage curios and thought it would work great with the patio party paper!  My sentiment is actually from the bitty banners stamp set.  I just carefully inked it as to not get the banner border which I didn't want.
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Collage curios, itty bitty banners
Paper:  Whisper white, baja breeze, midnight muse, summer starfruit, patio party DSP
Ink:  Baja breeze, midnight muse, summer starfruit, primrose petals (markers)
Accessories:  Soda pop tops, 1" circle punch, 1-3/4" scalloped circle punch, argyle embossing folder, primrose petals stitched satin ribbon, apothecary accents framelits, basic rhinestones

For my final card I wanted to do something more clean and simple...and of course use something else from the pop-up posies kit, ha!  I found the oval famelits work PERFECT in the kraft colored labels!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Feel goods, Oh, hello
Paper:  Whisper white, calypso coral
Ink:  So saffron, calypso coral, island indigo
Accessories:  Oval framelits, pop-up posies kit, vintage faceted designer buttons, linen thread

And finally we have my scrap page.  I used the you are my sunshine single stamp since my photo was of my and my hubby at a beach on our honeymoon!  The page is a BIT bright so I used a black and white photo as to not be TOO overwhelming:-)  The Oh, whale stamp set added some nice little waves!  I also added some glimmer paper to my sun rays and really liked the way it turned out! So sunny!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Sunshine (single stamp), Oh, whale
Paper:  Whisper white, daffodil delight, pool party, island indigo, summer smooches DSP, floral district DSP. brights DSP stack, champaign glimmer paper
Ink:  Daffodil delight, pool party, island indigo (ink and markers)
Accessories:  labels collection framelits

Whew!  Ok, I think that's it!  Thanks for sticking with me and wish me good luck:-)

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  It's Monday again, how does that keep happening?????  So the card I have today is pretty much the opposite of a mailable card :-)  Well you could mail it but it would take a bubble envelope....or do like I do with a lot of my "fancy" cards...I stick them in packages that I'm already mailing as an extra surprise then problem solved, ha!

Anyway, I'm totally obsessed with the pop-up posies kit for so many reasons!  First, the flowers of course are gorgeous.  And then there are those cute little embossed kraft colored tags!  We totally need an embosslit to cut these puppies out!  Third, the just for you stamp is just adorable!  And then finally, I love that you can totally do so many more things with the kit than just make tags out of it!  I'm loving making cards with it!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Pop-up posies kit
Ink:  Crumb cake, versamark
Paper:  Crumb cake, sycamore street DSP (SAB)
Accessories:  Pop-up posies kit, SAB ribbon & brad back, summer starfruit stitched satin ribbon, pool party embossing powder

It's just so yummy!  I LOVE these colors and the pool party embossing powder!!!!  And of course that's my favorite pattern from the SAB DSP!  And isn't that brad pretty in the center of the flower there?  It's in the kit!  And making the flower is super easy.  I just took 10 of the flowers and stacked them up then poked a hole and inserted the brad.  After that I just kind of fluffed up and bent up some of the petals.  Ta-da!

Make sure to pick up a couple of the kits today!  And don't forget it's the last week for Sale-A-Bration! Make sure to get your freebies by Friday because then they are gone FOR-EV-ER!  Gasp!!!!!

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  I have a card today that was inspired by one on the SU "blog" this week. One of the posts was all about gold and I loved it!  I pulled out my much neglected shimmer paint and recreated their card for my little cousin Kyleigh's first birthday.  It almost goes with her present which is the sweetest most adorable little spring jacket with polka dots :-)
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  None!
Paper:  Whisper white, calypso coral, 2011-2013 in colors DSP stack
Ink:  None!
Accessories:  Sponge dauber, champaign shimmer paint, vintage faceted buttons, linen thread, sizzix alphabet (name escapes me at the moment), chipboard
All I did was use a sponge dauber to randomly place polka dots with the shimmer paint.  Would be pretty with the other colors too I think!  It does take a while to dry.  I set mine aside over night and assembled it the next day so this isn't a great last minute card :-)  I also sponged the number with the shimmer paint.

Oh and in case you wondered (since I don't do square cards much) it's 5 x 5.

Happy first birthday little cousin and happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  TGIF, right?  It's been a long week for some reason...although next week might be longer as work is picking up and I have to start covering games...OUTSIDE....blech!  It better warm up and warm up fast, lol!  Anyway, moving onto the fun stuff....the new color challenge over at Fab Friday!  We've got some fantastic spring colors for you this week!

I know we can use some spring around here!!!!  I'm hoping to get a run outside tonight after work since it's light so much longer now and it's supposed to be in the 50's!  We shall see.....

I had a lot of ideas of what stamp set to use for this challenge.  It obviously screams spring and flowers but I kind of didn't want to do the "norm" with this one either.  Alas, I did use a flower but I used some things I haven't used much of.  One, the curios collage stamp set and two, the SAB embossing folder!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Collage curios, wishes your way, distressed dots (background)
Paper:  Whisper white, sahara sand, pink pirouette lucky limeade, tea for two DSP
Ink:  Sahara sand, pink pirouette, calypso coral, lucky limeade
Accessories:  Circle and scalloped circle punches, basic pearls, doilies, bottle caps, dazzling details

Can I just say how much I love those little bottle caps????   There's also some sparkle on the rose although it doesn't show in the picture.  But it's there :-)

Now head on over and check out what the rest of the design team came up with...and SPEAKING of the DT you'll want to make sure you check out the little announcement we have!  It's very exciting!  Go see!

Happy stamping

Hi stampers!  I'm so glad we have Sale-A-Bration but I'm so sad it's ending next week!  There's just over a week left since it ends on Friday the 22nd. I haven't used my freebies near enough which always seems to happen:-)

But here's another card based off of one that I cased recently...so it's a case of a case:-)

I gotta get...lots to do tonight...so the supplies will have to wait.   Make sure to check back tomorrow for the Fab Friday challenge!!!  And make sure to place your SAB order before it's too late!!!!

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  I need to start making cards of different sizes!  I forget how cute they can be!  I love long or tall cards so the sketch at Retro Sketches this week was perfect!


It's a super cute and simple sketch.  I had a lot of ideas for it but decided to use the sent with love bundle yet again.  It's so cute and the colors are pretty springy and fresh...just what we need this time of year!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Sent with love
Paper:  Whisper white, pool party, sent with love DSP
Ink:  Pool party, island indigo, calypso coral
Accessories:  In color polka dot brads, pool party ruffled ribbon, basic pearls

Sorry the picture is a little blurry.  For some reason today I couldn't seem to get a good photo!  Maybe it's the light....but isn't it cute!?!?  I sure am going to miss pool party come June....and those cute brads....and that cute ribbon!  Ack!!!!!

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  It's time for another fun challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This week is a fun and springy color challenge!

It was springy for about one day here on Sunday.  I even got to run outside and it was awesome...and then it was back to snow flurries yesterday, yuck!  At least this color challenge reminds me of spring.

I made an MDS page with one of my favorite pictures of my little cousin Kyleigh who just turned ONE!  I forgot just how teeny she was!

Now, don't forget to check out all the other design team samples and play along!

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  So I don't really like this card :-/  I made it for the last Retro Sketches challenge but it just didn't come together like I'd hoped.  Oh well.  At least it's bright and springy!  Which we need right now!  It's warmer today finally but also rainy and gloomy.  Guess beggars can't be choosers lol!

You may need some shades for this one....

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Ears to you (single)
Paper:  Whisper white, island indigo, sycamore street DSP (SAB)
Ink:  Tangerine tango, rich razzleberry, island indigo
Accessories:  Basic rhinestones, labels collection framelits

It's pretty CAS but I just don't like it....I hope someone does :-)

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  I haven't posted since Monday!  Whoops, how did that happen?  Guess it's been because we got our house on the market and had two showings yesterday so there was lots of getting ready, lol! Now, just cross your fingers and toes for us that those people liked the house!  We haven't heard anything from them yet but maybe they are like us and need to think things over:-)  It would be awesome if our house would sell quickly and we could get the new construction home we love!!!  Eek!

I did manage to stamp quite a bit this week though in favor of blogging :-)  So I should have things to share....I think....I might save some of them for an upcoming contest though.  SU is having "tryouts" to be a display stamper for their events and I'm going to enter.  It's kind of like a mini Artisan contest (which I'm still working on too) but the fun part is that I get to enter on my blog so you'll get to see all my creations without having to wait for-ev-er!!!!  :-)

Anyway, here's a card I made a while back for a Freshly Made Sketches challenge that I didn't get around to entering.  I really liked the sketch!  And this one even made it in the mail yesterday along with a stamp set for a special friend;-)
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Oh, hello
Paper:  Whisper white, crumb cake, calypso coral, tea for two DSP
Ink:  So saffron, island indigo
Accessories:  In color polka dot brads, oval framelits, small scallop circle punch, needle point embossing folders

It's pretty simple.  And springy!  Where is spring????  I hope it arrives this weekend.  It's supposed to be 50-some here and I WILL run outside on Sunday!  I can't wait!  And the rest of the time I'm going to STAMP!!!! Too bad we have to lose an hour on Sunday! :-)

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  It's Monday again....yayness, right?  LOL!  Where did the weekend go again?  Oh that's right....teaching aerobics, lunch with friends, a baby shower and dinner on Saturday then church, lunch with family (and yes, we went to Panera both times, lol), cleaning up the house some and looking at some houses to buy.  Kinda makes me tired to think about it all, lol!  So, I didn't get much if any stamping done.  Both nights when I sat down to start to make something I just didn't feel like it.  I have absolutely nothing (as of yet anyway) on the calendar next weekend so maybe I can really dig in then!

And last night I really couldn't get into it because we found another house we are interested in:-)  So, I was busy thinking/freaking out about that, lol!  Something cool is that it's brand new but we don't know that we'll have that much wiggle room with the price though because of that fact.  And as it stands now, my craft room doesn't exist...it will have to be in the basement and Jon will have to finish that first.  THAT creeps me out, lol!  WHERE will all my stuff go and HOW will I use it until then?  I think that's freaking me out as much as the payments, hahahahaha!  Anyone else ever feel like that?  It's only the second house that we've both loved immediately upon walking in....all the rest Jon loves and I hate, lol!  So, cross your fingers for us (and my craft room, lol)!

So, I'll share something I did last week or so.  It's pretty simple:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Oh, hello
Paper:  Very vanilla, crumb cake, tea for two DSP
Ink:  Crumb cake, calypso coral
Accessories:  Itty bitty butterfly punch, basic pearls, flower trim, frames embossing folders

It's simple...that's about all my brain can do right now, ha!  Hope everyone has a good week...and you don't get too much snow!  Shouldn't we be past all that white stuff by now???

Happy stamping!

Whew!  Well it's Friday and time for a new challenge at Fab Friday.  This card almost didn't happen.  My hubby was supposed to have a small outpatient surgery yesterday but once they got going they went in a different direction and now we are going to have to wait on some test results...but anyway, I spent most of the day with him and taking care of him...I didn't plan ahead very well!  I also thought I'd have more stamp time but you know how that goes right?

Anyway I kind of got a second wind late last night and thought I'd try to whip something up for our sketch:

I think it's a great spring sketch!  And don't forget you can use any shapes you want..or you can take it literally too...that's the great thing about sketches!!!!

See, I didn't use a butterfly :-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Sent with love
Paper:  Whisper white, pool party, island indigo, calypso coral, sent with love DSP
Ink:  Island indigo, calypso coral
Accessories:  Circle punch, perfect pennants die, basic pearls, designer label punch

Not bad for a quick card!  And this is one plane that I don't need my happy pills to be around, haha!  My sent with love paper was still out from earlier this week so I just grabbed it and started playing.  Sometimes that's the best way to do it...just grab what's out!  Which as of late that could be half of my stamping supplies, lol!!!

Now make sure to check out what the rest of the design team came up with and play along with us!  It's fun, we promise!

Happy stamping!