Hugs & Kisses

I was so excited to make a card yesterday with Hello Honey and Blissful Blackberry, that I decided to do it again. Pals Paper Arts Challenge #218 again provided the color selection, but this time I took an idea from several other cards I'd seen and titled my DSP across my card so it would be a little wonky. 

The paper is part of the Moonlight DSP from Stampin' Up and really give a bunch of really cool designs using some of their new In Color inks. A bit of tone on tone splatter from the Gorgeous Grunge set and a bit of bling and a simple card you have made. 

Happy weekend!

Hello Fall!

Nothing is better than cool 70 degree days filled with sunshine and beautiful breezes, especially when one has been cooped up with 60 7th graders all week in a hot and humid school building. I'm glad that our Wisconsin weather has decided to give up a break. 

My favorite season is fall and the cooler temps are making me more and more excited for that time of year. I feel bad for people who don't get to experience this. However, I wouldn't mind skipping winter altogether, which is something many of you don't have to endure. There is nothing quite like a WI winter. 

Fall, though, inspired my card today. I am in love with the new Hello Fall set from Stampin' Up and adore the rich colors of Hello Honey and Blissful Blackberry. It also allowed me to play along with Pals Paper Arts Challenge #218, which is in fact a color challenge this week. I also used the Freshly Made Sketch #152 because it offered a very clean layout. 

To create the illusion of DSP, I cut my White cardstock at desired lengths, made a pencil mark so I could see where the cardstock would start, and alternated washi tape from the Fall/Winter Stampin' Up mini catalog to create a funky pattern. I love how if I put the washi tape down wrong, I could easily pull it back up and reposition. I am over the moon about the card! 

A Fabulous Cup of Joe

My last free time act before returning to school next week was to bust out some card challenges because, let's be honest, I kind of forget to update my blog during the school year. I hope I can change that, but I know it won't be easy. 

I am completely obsessed with black and white right now. Good thing I got my Stampin' Up order with the new Back to Black DSP. I'm in heaven. I combined a couple challenges and whipped a birthday card for the teacher across the hall from me. My birthday is September 1st and her's is the 2nd (also our first day with students.)

Once I had it in my mind to make her a birthday card, I knew that I could incorporate Cas-ology's JAVA challenge and Freshly Made's Layout #150. 

Lisa loves her coffee and tea. I am in love with Stampin' Up's Perfect Blend coffee cup. I love making cute wraps to go around the cup. I paired it with PTI's Signature Greetings. I added a touch of sparkle by using a strip of gold sequins. Simple, clean, and classy. I'll add a Starbucks gift card and hope she does indeed have a fabulous birthday!

Black & White Birthday

Obsessed. I only have one word for my love of Stampin' Up's Back to Black DSP. I am rocking a mix of cool prints with minimal color for a man card for a teacher friend of mine. We both have September birthdays and I'm trying to get ahead of myself before the school year consumes me. 

John has a Keurig in his classroom so I thought that making a coffee themed card could be paired with a box of K-cups for his birthday. I combined Cas-ology's Java Challenge and Pals Paper Arts Layout #216 to make a simple and easy card. 

I tried to keep my pattern choices neutral so they would work for a guy, but I feel like something might be missing for this card. I didn't want to put any bling because I think it would have quickly turned feminine, but I'm not quite sure what it's missing. Suggestions?

Fabric Tote for Lindsay's Birthday

Although she hardly ever posts to our blog, (eh hmmm) my sister is a pretty crafty person. She is the mother of 3 boys and unofficially to mine as well during the school year, as she is our daycare. She is a great cook and handy to boot. This girl has got it all. I posted her birthday card last week here and provided the background to the great little lightning bug card I made for her. This girl deserves so much more than I could ever give her. 

I got so lucky to have her as my little sister and even more lucky that as we have grown, she is by far my best friend. I don't know what I would do without her. So even though she didn't know which birthday she was celebrating, (it's her 31st by the way) she deserves a little pampering. I am planning on taking her for lunch and a mani/pedi, but in the meantime I made her this cute little fabric tote. 

I scored this outdoor fabric at Jo-Ann Fabric when a woman put it down at the cutting counter because it wasn't on sale. I had a coupon and scooped it up. It was destiny. I followed the great photo tutorial here and made her this tote for whatever suits her fancy...kids' snacks, sewing supplies, Scentsy business stuff...the sky's the limit. It was pretty easy to make and only took two nap times to put together. That's quick in my book. I hope she likes it and that she has a great birthday! Love you Linz!

Happy 33rd Birthday to Nick!

My husband, Nick, turns 33 today. We've been together since high school (15 years) and it is amazing to think that I pretty much known him over half of his life. We usually are pretty low-key for his birthday. I love that he and my sister have birthdays right next to each other. We usually celebrate them together, but this year we aren't. 

Nick and I went out for sushi last night to celebrate his birthday. I decided to call it his international birthday because we started in Japan for sushi, then headed to a downtown German pub for a liter of bier, ending the night drinking martinis and today we had Hmong eggrolls for lunch, and Italian lasagna for dinner. I even made a carrot cake, from scratch, for his cake. I'm assuming carrot cake is American, but I'd love to be wrong. It would add so much more to our international theme. 

As with my sister, I enjoy making a homemade card, but man cards are so much harder to produce. Why is that? I took a cue from the Colour Q #249 challenge and rounded up a bunch of 1/2" scraps to pull this card together lickity-split. 

I have a feeling this just might be a go-to layout, especially for the men in my life. I like that it is simple and that I can include any sentiment for whatever the occasion might be. Happy 33rd to my darling Nick!

Glow Little Lightning Bug

Wow, summer is cruising by at a breakneck speed. This upcoming weekend we are celebrating my husband and sister's (and co-blogger) birthdays. It was funny because Lindsay and I just had a conversation about her age and she couldn't remember if she was turning 31 or 32 this year. After a certain point, do some people just stop counting? My uncle "sold" his birthday to his grandson for a buck. Now Cole has 2 birthdays and my uncle said he never has to worry about getting older again. Maybe it's not a bad idea. For now, I think I'll keep my birthday. I quite like it. 

I sat down today to make a card for my sister and fellow crafter. I saw Cas-ology's challenge this week was GLOW and right away inspiration struck. I combined it with The Friday Mash-up's Challenge #168 and an idea was born. The only thing I could think about was lightning bugs. 

You see, our great grandmother used to live in Webster Groves, a suburb of St. Louis. I don't know if it was the humid weather or the location, but her backyard was always full of them. There were so many that we used to catch them in jars. This is a fond memory both my sister and I share about the time we spent there. 

There aren't too many opportunities to see lightning bugs around here. I have the bonus of living further out of our small city and near a retention pond that has some long grass. I see lightning bugs throughout the summer right from the comfort of my backyard, but my sister doesn't have that. 

I started by stamping PTI's Friendship Jar on paper, but then changed to vellum as it gave a better appearance of glass. I used my Copic markers to give the jar a blue hue. Gotta love those beautiful blue mason jars. I used a sponge dauber to make the glow from the lightning bug and used a black brad for the bug itself. I used PTI's Ombre Builder for the dotted background and their Sketched Shapes for the birthday sentiment. 

This card will be a nice way to remind here of summertime and the memories of our childhood. I love her to pieces and I hope she has a nice birthday, however old she is turning. ;)

Mad about Plaid

My little devil of a nephew, Sawyer, will be celebrating his 3rd birthday in early August. He is spunky and has that "I'm into some trouble" sparkle in his eye. He is a daddy's boy for sure and I knew I needed to make him a special birthday card. My sister is thinking about doing a farm/barnyard theme for his birthday. This kid is flannel and overalls all the way. 

I wanted to use the Color Throwdown #300 challenge. First I started by cutting out a "3" from some Navy cardstock. I thought I could make a cool pattern behind it, like plaid from a flannel. Once I covered up the pattern, I didn't like how dark it looked. I had to step back for a bit and reenvision it. I loved the plaid, so I made it simple by just leaving the plaid image in the corner and attaching the Navy "3" I had punched out and discarded. 

I'm not going to lie. I had to check out Google to see how to make a plaid pattern. Once I saw it and did it, I felt kind of dumb because it was so darn easy. I hope he will like the card and his barnyard party. 

A Quick Thank You

I needed to send out a quick thank you card for Owen's birthday and Cas(e) This Sketch #84 provided the perfect and simple solution. I've seen this layout around and I admire so many beautiful cards that use this template, but hadn't attempted it myself...until now. 

I started by placing a mask over the space I wanted my sentiment to go. I actually could have made it a bit smaller, but you live and learn as they say. 

I went to a classic color combo, especially fitting for a thank you from Owen, of Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, and Island Indigo. I used PTI's Scribbled Circles to create the pattern and a large "Thank You" stamp from PTI is a coordinating color. 

Simple, clean, and ready to put a stamp on. 

Blue Ribbon Birthday

I am on a roll with birthday cards this month. Maybe it is because our family has so darn many summer birthdays. I took a cue from Pals Paper Arts Challenge #211 and used the three listed colors to make a simple birthday card. 

I clear embossed the chevron image from Stampin' Up's A Work of Art. I then stamped the ribbon and birthday sentiments from the Blue Ribbon set. I made a graduation card using this same layout, but just adjusted the colors. It was simple and easy. 

Mason Jar Lanterns- 4th of July Edition

Mason jar lanterns!

My big sister has been on my butt about not posting to our blog, so here it is. Out of all the amazing Pinterest crafts out there, I decided on this little beauty. I must first say that pealing the stickers off was a huge pain in the butt. Second, craft paint and glass don't get along very well. Amanda did the red and white ones; I did the blue. Always an amazing time crafting with my sister. Now only if we could figure out how to do it with out four toddler boys fighting over every toy in the toy box.

Flying by...

The 4th of July is probably one of my favorite holidays. I love being outside, with family, and especially watching fireworks. My dad's backyard is the perfect spot to watch fireworks from a nearby park. It is close and loud. I love it! Owen fell asleep last year during the festivities, but I don't think he will let the "big booms" escape him this year. 

We are going to celebrate with my mom today and watch a neighboring cities fireworks tonight. I just can't get enough...unless it is random fireworks being set off well into the night. Before we head over for a cookout, I decided to whip up something fun before I go. 

This cute card was inspired by Cas-ology's Float Challenge 

and My Favorite Things Sketch #183

Drum roll, please....

I have had this Lawn Fawn set for a while and when I saw FLOAT, I knew this was the set to use. I embossed the paper airplanes and then I white washed them with white craft ink and a watercolor marker. The circle was made with a mask. I had cut a circle out from a previous project and I used the negative space to sponge the circle. I like that this made it feel light and airy and not heavy. 

What is your favorite part of the July 4th holiday? Have a good one!

Simple Celebrate

Do you ever find that your craft space, no matter how big or small, seems to have no room at all? Mine didn't and that meant it was time for a clean up. While I was doing this, I found a bunch of bits and pieces from previous projects, bits of stamped paper here, bits and baubles there, punched out shapes. You name it and I felt like I had it. Well these bits and pieces were the muse, along with Freshly Made Sketches #143 layout for my newest beauty. 

We have lots of birthdays and other celebrations coming up in July and August, so these little gem will come in handy. 

I used PTI's Ombre Builder for the swatch of green, it almost looks like grass. The circle is a Project Life journaling card. A small piece of Afternoon Tea DSP and the wood element come from Stampin' Up. I also had a small piece of Crumb Cake cardstock that had been stamped with the Hardwood stamp from Stampin' Up. All these pieces came together to create a super simple and easy card. 

Cool as a...Popsicle

I was in love with the Summer Sweetness stamp set by Papertrey Ink before it ever arrived at my door. I love the cool popsicle designs. They are very summertime indeed. 

Not only was I inspired by Cas(e) This Sketch Challenge #82, but also by the fast approach of one of my favorite holidays, Fourth of July. 

I used both the Circle Scribbles and Summer Sweetness by Papertrey Ink to create this sweet card. 

I used a little Crystal Effects by Stampin' Up to make the popsicle look wet and juicy. 

Overall, I love the layout and think this could be a go-to design for me from now on. Happy weekend and stay "cool."

Go Bold...Go Gold

So I was wandering around Hobby Lobby with my little man Owen the other day and I became instantly in love with these cute phrases and sayings that were in gold. Typically decorating with gold wouldn't be my thing, but these totally caught my attention. 

I went back to the scrapbooking department and bought myself some gold embossing powder. I just bought the Splat stamp set from Papertrey Ink and I thought it would make for a really great bold image. 

I was also inspired by Cas-ology's Wood challenge 

and this was the result. 

I used the Woodgrain embossing folder to make one of the banner flags. I love this embossing folder. I also embossed some paint splatter from the Gorgeous Grunge set on the background. I love the look of the gold embossing on the Espresso cardstock. It looks rich and reminds me of the Rolos commercial. I think this card could/would work great for a masculine card. 

Owen's Birthday Quilt: Aqua, Green, and Gray

I have been busting it on this cute aqua, green, and gray quilt for Owen's birthday. I am not an excellent seamstress by any means, and there are a lot of mistakes on this quilt, A LOT, but I am so proud of the time and effort I put into making something special for my O's 2nd birthday. 

It was the first Twin sized quilt I've done, and man was it a beast to quilt. I just stitched in the ditch because it was super cumbersome to think of doing any more. I also made a real binding, for the first time. I was lazy before this and would roll the backing to the front to create a binding. I am proud I took time time and effort. 

I am looking forward to picnics and looking at stars on this blanket. I hope Owen loves it as much as I do. 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Owen was actually due on June 13th, which is also my mom's birthday. Usually people aren't that I excited to share a birthday, but my mom wanted nothing more than to share a birthday with Owen. He was born at 8:54 pm on June 12th. My mom was disappointed. She swears that her birthday is now June 12th so they can share. 

Although her and Owen don't share an actual birthday, she said that he was the best birthday gift that year. How can I ever top that?

I made her a card inspired by a sketch on Papertrey's June Inspiration Archive. 

A simple card for my mom's special day. 

A Busy Weekend

With the school year over, it is time to kick it into crafty high gear. Kidding, but I love that I have a bit of extra time during the day to craft while school is out, otherwise it usually has to take place between 9-10pm. I don't know about you, but this isn't really my best time to think. So...with it being my first official day off for the summer, I decided to whip up some cards. 

This upcoming weekend is going to be a busy one. My baby turns 2 on Thursday. I can hardly believe that time has gone by so quickly already. My mom's birthday is on Friday. We are having a birthday party for Owen on Saturday and Sunday is Father's Day. Way to pack it all in one weekend, eh?

Let's go backwards. Today, I decided to spend some time making Father's Day cards for the grandfathers/fathers in our lives. 

I used a couple challenges and a new Stampin' Up set: Work of Art to make a simple and clean Father's Day card. 

First, the inspiration: 

Pals Paper Arts Challenge #206 provided the colors

Fusion gave us the card layout

and Cas-ual Fridays Challenge #132 set the manly card parameters. 

Walla...a card fit for a father!

I used Papertrey's Signature Greetings by Dawn McVey for the sentiment, some thick twine, and a big shiny button. I'm glad to make a card for two great fathers. We are lucky to have them as grandfathers to Owen and fathers to us. 

Father's Day

Nick did not want kids. It wasn't really something we ever talked about. The closer we got to 30 though, I started to get the itch. Unfortunately, he didn't. I had thoughts in my head about growing old and having no one to take care of us, no wedding or graduations to attend. We got pregnant...not planned and honestly, I think it took Nick by surprise. He had no interest in kids and I was scared about what kind of parents we would be. 

With that said, you would never know that he didn't want kids. He is a great dad to Owen. I know that our work schedules are difficult and we are both essentially single parents during the week. He does the work on a mom and dad sometimes and I appreciate all the love and care he takes with our son. He loves him so much and it shows. I know that Owen wasn't really in our future, but once he got here, you could never tell that it wasn't planned that way. 

We both have our faults as parents, as everyone does, but I could ask for a better dad for my son. 

I put together a special Father's Day card for him to show my and Owen's appreciation. 

I took inspiration today from Colour Q's Challenge #244 and from Cas(e) This Sketch Challenge #79. 

I used Stampin' Up's Work of Art stamp set and Papertrey Ink's Signature Greetings for the sentiment. 

Happy Father's Day this weekend to all the dads out there!