first birthday (only 4 years later)

well, this page is SOOO over due! background paper is from a dollar store pack, two borders papers are creative memories; purple flower ribbon is $1 michaels; purple circles on bottom of page are done using my cuttlebug dies; "my baby girl" is on vellum; used $1 wal*mart ribbon to attach ribbon to vellum (by staples), then hook around some big pink buttons. i like hiding my journaling, so i put journaling on a piece of orange paper and "hid" it under the green at the bottom. used my SU tab punch on journaling so it's kinda seen and not missed.

the page i cased to get this page is here as well ("mud"). i got the idea from "scrapbooking & beyond" the magazine; from the Feb. 2006 issue. layout is on page 32 and done by kriss cramer. thanks
for the inspiration, kriss!

wedding card

this is what i made for my sisters wedding. got a few new stamps in the last few weeks and couldn't wait to use them! got the mice stamp from great impressions in centralia, WA. the "bride & groom" stamp is from 'a wedding day' set from stampabilities (found it at Kmart on clearance for only $3! it came in a set of 18 stamps, for only $3!). the only things on this card that are SU are the brads, the inks, and the Wwhite cardstock. that fat brown ribbon i got in a clearance bin at joanne's; background stripped paper, i have no idea. everything is inked including distressing) in Cchip. mice are colored in pencil and then i went over in OMS. used sakura gelly roll to glitter up the veil. i just love these colors together! hope she likes it!

gone fishin'

i had two days off in a row. that's two days off, and both of them smack dab together! YEE HAW! so what did we do? well, the first day we went to town ("you must be a red-neck if...") to get groceries and i need a dress for my sisters wedding (yeah... didn't think that one through. i thought it would be no big deal, we'd be in and out. take the kids, they'd be good. yeah.... i didn't get a dress but i came home with a headache. *no matter what, i love 'em!). so we just messed around the first day doing nothing productive (i have less than a week to get my house perfect for the shower, with no more days off in between!). then today, the second day off, we slept in (that was nice, however, also unproductive), made a great breakfast (i can't remember the last time i got breakfast that wasn't an egg muffin! or cinnamon melt, but those are just to die for!), then got some stuff done. DH mowed most of the lawn (this is the first real mowing that we've been able to do this year! trust me, it was SOO needed, and i was SOOO impressed that he got it all done today!), i got some FD stuff done, cleaned the bathrooms and picked up our room. looked online to price vacation stuff (we are looking at a disneyland vacation in fall of '08, don't tell the girls!). when our oldest got off the school bus we decided to go fishing! got out the poles, packed some snacks, and put on our boots. off to the lake we went! we only caught one that was worth keeping, well, dad caught it. but we did get to see some really cool frogs! all in all, i didn't get everything done that i wanted to, that's normal. but today was different, today was a good day.

just because

couldn't let the days go by without making a SU card, just because. all paper, ink, stamps, punch, and ribbon are SU. i used Ppink, Bblue, Ccelery, Wwhite, Ssaffron, Llace, & versamark. stamps are "polka dots & petals" (spring mini) and "love matters" (winter mini). used "glitter window" technique for flower in bottom left corner. i really don't like the pink flower at the end of the word 'friends', but it's covering up a mistake. a mistake was there that i tried to fix and made it worse, actually. stamped the word in versamark and put clear SU embossing powder over it. when i went to heat it, my thumb rubbed off some of the powder so it didn't emboss. i took my versamarker and tried to go over the letter lightly so i could re-emboss, but my daughter was next to me and got too eager to take a peak. needless to say, it got worse with a large spot of versamark on the 'S'. so this is what i get for trying to be a perfectionist. i still like it. i think that the "polka dots & petals" has got to me my favorite set.

happy fathers day!

well, here is the card that i made for my dad for fathers day. i am much happier with this one than the one that i did for my DH. card base is wwhite (SU), word stamp used
on left of card is a new one that i picked up at great
impressions (they have an outlet store in centralia where
most stamps are like 50% off regular retail price, can't beat
that without a coupon!). stamped words in pumpkin pie SU ink, went over two words with chocolate chip SU marker. orange dotted background paper is from that stack that i have no idea where i got it or what kind it is. tree, leaves, and grass is from "trees three" (winter mini, SU). Cchip & Ccelery ribbon are on bottom (SU). for the green in the tree and on leaves, i sponged and stamped Ccelery, then stamped Mmoss, then Oolive for depth. distressed (imagine that) with Cchip ink.

happy fathers day!

fathers day for DH

well here is the fathers day card that i made for my DH. it is missing something, or something. i just don't like it. i got this asian themed stamp specifically for a card for him, got some origami paper to use as background, used twine on corners of stamped image to "tie" it together, used bamboo stamp in old olive on card base, used in versamark and embossed in pharaohs gold on black card stock. it still needs something.... i just don't like it. i think where i went wrong was actually me trying to make it better. i colored the whole scene with colored pencils and went over it very carefully with odorless mineral spirits. thought it needed something else so i did the flowers, the flower stems, the fish, and the clouds in sakura gel pens. i think that actually took away from the card itself. well, i know now for next time...

i wanna be like mommy

my girls love to stamp, scrap, and make projects with or without me. today my husband and i have been cleaning out our closet (getting out the shorts, putting away the scarves, etc), and my youngest decided to make a card all by herself. her favorite technique/embellishment is glitter. i got them a big multi-pack of glitter stuff this last year for christmas, i thought it would have been gone by now, especially the way they use it! so this is her, so far she's been stamping/coloring/glittering the same card for over 2 hours! i don't want her to grow up....

have a wild birthday!

got these stamps at the stamp show last month and this is the first i've got to use them! they are both sunday international. this is a birthday card for my father-in-law (don't you just love getting that one hour notice, "honey! you have to make a card for my dad! it's his birthday today!", then spending your afternoon making it just so you can clean up and head to work for the rest of the night...sorry, i've ranted enough.), he never wears ties, i thought it would be a cute card. all inks and papers are SU, ribbon is from michaels.

birthday gift for friend

i have had these little spiral bound note books for awhile and done nothing with them (do i say that with every post? maybe i should dig around and start "doing stuff" more often!). i still have something else that i'm working on, i'll upload that photo when i finish. so i covered the little book with plain white paper that i had stamped all over with different colors & stamps out of the "polka dots & petals" set. used glue stick & brayer to get paper onto book. used my small tag punch (SU) and ppink CS, stamped "K" using "big deal" alphabet, used my sakura gel pens to finish her name on the tag. tied to card using silver SU cord. her card i cased from carriejoe's gallery on splitcoast stampers. turned out a bit different, but usually my inspiration does (that and not having all supplies! or not being able to find them...). for the card, all CS is SU, used my cuttlebug for the the flower background and for the black ribbon tag. once again, flower on card is from "polka dots & petals" set, i colored it in with my sakura gel pens. this was a fun card to make as i usually don't incorporate ribbon tags.
all stamps are SU.

dads birthday gift

found some photo mats for frames at the dollar store and hadn't used them yet. this pic. is of me and my oldest, d'Ete, at her first concert last summer. this is a great photo that i haven't really given out yet, just kinda ordered prints, then forgot about 'em. i used my "lively little ones" set for the children on the bottom of the mat. the little flowers and the heart are from my "love matters" winter mini set. i used both my "big deal" and "headline" alphabets. i used stazon black ink, colored images in using stampin' write markers. all stamped images are SU.
hope he likes it and eventually changes the photo inside! and yes, i am going to get an actual frame for it before i give it to him =)

happiness knows no color

did this for card sketch "bonus B" on a shade of blue. this card looks SO much better in real life! looks kinda crappy scanned... really like this layout for cards. cardstock, inks, & stamps are all SU; patterned paper is from that "i dunno" stack :) finally found something that made me want to use my sell-a-bration set "happy harmony". i just love that set but don't get inspired much to use it.

happiness in petals

i did this card for a sketch challenge on a shade of blue.
i haven't gotten into the sketches much and wanted to, so i did. this is such a simple and cute card! and it's all SU so i can demo it. and i just got the grosgrain ribbon the other day! how fortunate! if you ever get the chance (more like get the time), pop into a shade of blue and check it out. they're friendly, informational, and inspirational.

have a great day!

cherished paisely

got some inspiration to do something with my "polka dots & paisley" set today when i visited doodleblog . it isn't as good as hers, but it sparked me. didn't have anyone in particular that i needed to make a card for, so i just made one. card base is bashful blue, also used certainly celery & whisper white. used my small tag punch for the tag, certainly celery ribbon. ink distressed the main inked image with more certainly celery (i think that's my color of the day). used some of my "polka dots & petals" stamps for the background images. all stamps are SU.

messing around with birthdays

,
when i was looking around for paper to use with my dads card, i found this cool patterned paper in my drawer. i just love the look of ink distressing and this paper has it even before i touch it! i really wanted to do a card with presents, but didn't have any present stamps (i was going to get a few at the last stamp show, i'm kicking myself HARD now for putting them down!), so i decided to make some. since i usually cut my stamps pretty close to the image, i have rubber left over. i had LOTS of rubber left over when i cut out my "big blossom" stamp (that huge flower from the "sell-a-bration" SU promotion). so i drew on the rubber, finally found something i kinda liked, then exacto knifed it. the presents you see are what you get. also had to play around with my new glue pen & glitter (like you couldn't tell, same stuff i've been playing with for the last 10 projects!). oh! and the rhinestones! yeah... i've been waiting to use those on something, finally did. i like 'em!

it's dads birthday!

used my "lively little ones", "warmest regards" SU sets on the front, my "in my thoughts" SU set inside. on certainly celery, i used CC ink to stamp the small present as a background. i found some cool yellow/green/orangish paper (no idea) to use, too. found blue & yellow buttons, "threaded" them with a thin piece of CC cardstock. colored the birthday boy with SU watercolor pencils, mounted onto striped paper, onto basic black, onto card base. cute star clip has been sitting here just waiting to be used! i made the envelope out of coordinating yellow/green/orangish paper using my judikins template.

alternate bridal shower invite

well, wanted to try something else. similar, but different. used the same stamps as first bridal invite (see two posts prior), used background paper from last post (no idea what kind or brand). used black stazon ink, certainly celery, basic black, & whisper white (all SU) cardstock. colored the lingerie with my new sakura jelly roll pens and added susie sparkle transparent glitter with sakura quickie glue. ribbon is offray microspool. not quite sure what to think of it... i feel like i just can't get it right! i need to send these off ASAP but want them to be perfect! back to the drawing board... so i did another one with different background paper (TOTALLY different color scheme-orange, black, & pink), and different ribbon. still unsure. i just love the colors together, but not sure if they fit the "bridal shower" theme.

wonderful chick

over the last week and a half, i have walked up to the "great impressions" store front windows four times before i got lucky and they were open! this is a great discount (outlet) store in centralia, WA. i got a few stamps and haven't been able to play with them... until now. i browsed some of the photos that i took at one of the stamp shows i attended and found one to case. this is the finished product. i used printed paper (no idea where i got it or what brand it is) for the background on top of a whisper white card base, other cardstock used was basic black and certainly celery. i colored the chicks with SU watercolor pencils, and put SU "dazzling diamonds" on the flowers. sentiment is stamped in black stazon. ribbon is making memories "funky with fibers". i love the sentiment stamp. such a thick font, it just looks great on paper.

bridal shower invite

MY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED!
my other sister and i are planning the shower for her. it's just all so exciting! i wanted to show off the invite but don't want her to see it, i think i'm safe since she never checks out my blog! (why does my camera need the date re-set again? i think i just did that last week! the kids must be messing with it... DH is going to be thrilled!) anywho, card base is whisper white (SU), patterned paper is provo craft. i put the patterned paper through the cuttlebug for the embossed swirly background. heart stamp on side is SU, lingerie stamp is all night media (both were borrowed from friends, thanks ann & kate!), "it's a girl thing" is from a $1 michaels clear set. layered paper is whisper white, pretty in pink, and basic black (SU). $1 stitched black ribbon from wal*mart. used dazzling diamonds on hearts; using my new quickie glue pinpoint roller (this is just fabulous! i got it at the show in puyallup, it was an add on. i was ready to pay, the nice lady said "do you have one of our glue pens? they're 2 for $5." i said ok. you can never have too many glue pens. but this pen, this incredible pen, writes out glue like a ballpoint pen! it's such a perfect little line or dot! i recommend this product! and here i've gotten off the subject at hand, again...) , i put fruit punch stickles on the bodice; sakura gelly roll pen on the straps; susie sparkle orange sorbet transparent glitter for the dots. on the inside i used more of the $1 michaels stamps for the "you're invited" and "who, what, when, where, why". well, it's late, DH already went to bed, i have to work tomorrow, better go. hope you have a great day!

a must have for $13.99!

below you will find the add for the punch that i cannot wait to come in stock so i can buy it! it's located here if you're interested (at createforless. com). just wanted to share the product and the price! i found about 7 on ebay today, all of which were $25 or over (+ shipping!) and have not found one for under $20 anywhere. i guess that would explain why they're out of stock....

Uchida Clever Lever Giga Punch Scalloped Circle 2 7/8"

Description: Uchida Clever Lever Giga Craft Punches each have metal shapes with plastic bodies. They are simple to use with these wonderful lever style tops. These punches can be easily sharpened by punching thin aluminum foil or lubricated by punching wax paper. Have fun making scrapbooks, cards, bookmarks, confetti and more. Scalloped Circle 2 7/8" See entire product line.

i am proud of my mom

and 3 years later, i can finally show her off. she is the proud graduate of evergreen state college in olympia. even though she already had a job, her kids were grown, she wanted the self satisfaction of graduating college. she went to night classes so she could continue working during the day. i hope that someday my children will be half as proud of me as i am of my mother.
back to the page, i know, once again, i crammed TONS of stuff onto paper. this is a 12x12 page. i made the background paper (well, started with a 12x12 of whisper white then went just crazy with my polka dots and petals & polka dots and paisley sets, both from the spring mini catalog.) since i didn't get the right "vibe" from any paper that i had on hand. ok, i used so many colors: mellow moss & certainly celery; ballet blue & bashful blue; elegand eggplant & lavender lace; pixie pink & pretty in pink; pumpkin pie & summer sun; basic black. on all the underlayers for the pictures, i used the dotted background stamp from the polka dots and paisely set. the "celebrate" and "happiness*joy*bliss*laugh" stamps are $1 stamps from michaels. i used more flowers from that bread bag full of flowers that i got at the goodwill for cheap. i also used my SU flower punch, my cuttlebug (arrows & lines of arrows, some flowers), stapler, sparkle gel pen, silver square brads. i hope mom likes it!