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. 

A Sunny Forecast

There was finally sun in the forecast this weekend and boy do we need it. In honor of Mother's Day, and the beautiful weather, I put together this sweet little card for my mom and sister for the celebration on Sunday. 

I borrowed Colour Q Challenge #240

and Cas-ual Fridays Challenge #131: Three Thirds

to make a sweet little card for two lovely women. 

I used Papertrey Ink's Signature Greetings by Dawn McVey for the "You're a Peach" sentiment and just a bit of twine, a button, and a bit of sparkle around the edge for a finished off look. 

Enjoy the weather and have a fabulous weekend moms!

Bundle of Joy

There has been a long running joke at school for about the last two years: don't drink the water. In a school building with a majority of female teachers, the baby bug hits hard. It was wonderful to be able to take time off from school to be with my baby when he was first born, but hard as a teacher to walk away at any point of the school year and give control of your class and your kids to someone else. Fortunately, we have and had some pretty amazing long-term subs in our building. And God knows, middle schoolers can be tough. 

That's why when this combination of challenges came along, it was like kizmet. 

Curtain Call's Baby Booties Challenge provided the inspiration

Colour Q #235 provided a "challenging" color selection (I used Crumb Cake because I didn't have anything River Rock in my stash)

and Cas-ual Friday's #130: Good Egg gave me a bit of added direction

to create my take on a congrats baby card.

I used the Oh, Hello stamp set and Oval framelits to cut out the chevron oval. I used a variety of sequins and the wooden arrow for added elements. I used Signature Greetings by Dawn McVey (love her) for Papertrey Ink. 

In the end, I felt like using Coastal Cabana on the chevron may have been like trying to create an image only 3-D glasses could see. I think I should have done the sentiment in dark brown and create an additional oval layer and Coastal Cabana. Oh well. Practice makes perfect...but does that really apply to card making, I don't think so.

Happy crafting!

Shades of Gray Birthday

It must be a gray thing, because currently I am repainting our coral bathroom (it looks like a Mexican restaurant) to a shade of gray. I love that gray is the new go-to neutral. Although I still love me some Crumb Cake. 

I was inspired today to make this sweet little birthday card by Cas(e) This Sketch #66

Cas-ual Friday #129 Challenge: Shades of Gray

and again The Friday Mash-up #149: Flowers

Here's the result. 

I love the simple femininity of this card without being overly girly. I used the Sale-a-Bration set Petal Parade in Crisp Cantaloupe, So Saffron, and Calypso Coral. I stamped on a grid card from my Project Life kit and bordered in in Smokey Slate. I wrapped the image in the Silver Twine from Stampin' Up's Occasions catalog. I used a PTI die cut for the "birthday" sentiment and actually cut it from a gray and white houndstooth card from Project Life again. I used my chalk pen to create the lines. I am over the moon about the card. I can't wait to find a lucky recipient. 

Best Wishes...Foxy!

Back again today with a combination of amazing challenges. Owen is down for a nap which means Mama gets to make some cards. 

Pals Paper Arts #191 provided the color palette (which I must admit, I was a bit scared about)

Fusion Card Challenge #4 gave me the beautiful layout

and CAS-ual Fridays #128 provided a bit of extra inspiration to finish my design off. 

In the end I feel like this very clean card with pops of Pumpkin and Gumball Green are just what the winter doctor orders. I have always been in love with Fox & Friends so the sweet fox was a perfect addition. The wood grain embossing adds an element of depth without going too crazy. The little slide button also adds a touch of metal for the eye to look at. I'm in love!

Hugs & Kisses

As I said in a previous post, I'm not really into Valentine's Day, but I am really into Cas-ology's AND Challenge. It was the perfect challenge to showcase some sweetness without having to go all Valentine's Day on it. 

I joined this idea with Retro Sketches Challenge #101

and Cas-ual Fridays Challenge #127 Over the Edge for a fun little card. 

I am in love with this Sweet Sorbet DSP and the little wooden accent pieces add a bit of whimsy. 

Hope you had a great weekend. 

 

Color Block Globe

Ever since I bought the Love You More stamp set from Stampin' Up, I have been dying to use the cute little globe that says, "You mean the world to me." Well folks, today is that day!

Cas-ual Friday's Color Block Challenge (#126) 

 Pals Paper Arts Sketch Challenge (#188)

and Colour Q's Challenge (#224) including Island Indigo, Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Going Gray, and Whisper White

Gave me the inspiration to make this simple, yet cute card. 

I took the three pops of color and stitched them together with my sewing machine. Then I colored in the globe using Pool Party and Smoky Slate markers so I could stamp the sentiment on the image instead of below it. 

I think we might use this as a Valentine's card from Owen to Papa. I love that the colors aren't too girly, which Valentine's colors tend to be. 

Thanks for looking and happy Sunday!

Hooray for Today

So Owen and I ran some errands this morning. We went to the fabric store and I don't know what it is, but I just can't stop myself from buying fabric. I don't even know what I'm going to use it for. I think I also keep buying some of the same fabrics over and over again without realizing it because I love them so much. Owen is such a good shopper too. He helped put the bolts of fabric on the counter for cutting. 

We only went to pick up the fabric for the center part of the lap quilt I'm making for our house. I loved the ones I made for the boys so much that I wanted to make one for us. So much for that idea, because I walked out of Jo-Ann Fabric with 9 fabrics. Good thing I hide my fabric right away so my husband doesn't see how much I bought. ;)

It is another warmish day is WI and the roads were a mess because all the rain froze last night, but the mini relief of our inevitable cold winter has given me inspiration to make another card with a pop of color. 

This time Cas-ual Friday #125 and The Friday Mash-Up #142 both provided inspiration with the ideas One Word and the use of twine and a birthday theme. 

Fusion #1 provided a sketch and a picture containing a beautiful color selection such as Coral, Sky Blue, and Gray. 

My card came to life by using just paper and punches. A small scallop circle and a butterfly in alternating Coral and Silver foil cardstock create the stunning centerpiece. A bit of Coral twine and a sentiment from Stampin' Up's Geometrical set and we were on our way. 

Enjoy the weekend and find your little piece of sunshine. 

Countdown to 2014

When I first saw that Cas-ual Fridays had a Happy New Year Challenge, I instantly had the idea of a countdown. 

Pair this with a bright and fun color selection from the Friday Mashup using Real Red, Gumball Green, Bermuda Bay, and Crumb Cake with a sprinkle of shimmer (thank you Watercolor Washi tape)

and you have what Cas-ology would call a PARTY!

No, but in all seriousness, my brain automatically went to countdown. I used the Morning Post stamp set to start a number countdown down the side of the card. I am absolutely in love with the Watercolor Washi tape. It reminds me of  confetti. I didn't have a great sentiment to pair with this card so I used, "Hip Hip Hooray" from the Hip Notes stamp set. 

You know how sometimes you have this great idea and in your head it is gorgeous, but once you make it, it isn't quite what you dreamed. That was this card for me. It's a perfectly fine card, but it didn't meet all the hype I created in my head for it. 

Have you ever had one of those cards/projects that just didn't meet your expectations or dreams?

Enjoy the New Year

I've been under a bit of self-induced pressure. I made a quilt for each of my nephews for Christmas and all my Owen nap time lately has been devoted to cutting, ironing, and sewing. (Pictures of quilts will be posted in a future post.) Don't get me wrong, I love it and the results were awesome, but it left little time for anything else. I'm glad to get to craft how I want to during naps over this winter break. Now if only our dog would quit waking up the baby. 

I went back to my tired and true challenges and whipped up a card to ring in the new year. Thanks to Cas-ual Fridays #124 New Year, Cas(e) This Sketch #58, and Cas-ology #76 Party for the fabulous inspiration today! 

The DSP is a Sale-a-Bration pick called Sweet Sorbet. I love the polka dots. They reminded me of confetti falling after the ball drops in New York City. All these sweet little dots are broken up by a white piece of cardstock and the simple word "enjoy" stamped in Basic Black. To add a bit more sparkle and shine I randomly balled up some new Silver Baker's Twine and punched out star and one single sequin. This was my nod at the ball drop. 

I love this sweet little card and the fact that it could be used for so many different occasions. I love that inspiration comes in many forms. Thank you to all that visit and pin our projects. We hope to have more to share throughout the new year. Happy New Year!