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. ;)

Hello Lovely

Going back to school after Spring Break was hard this week, especially since the sun and weather decided to improve since we were off. I think Mother Nature knew that it would get those preteens all riled up to see the sun and not be able to enjoy it. 

I honor of the beautiful weather, I decided to whip up a spring inspired card. I was excited to mash together supplies from both Stampin' Up and Papertrey Ink. I used the Watercolor Wonder DSP along with Coastal Cabana, Apricot Appeal, and Primrose Petals ink and cardstock from SU and I got to play with Papertrey Ink's Wet Paint stamp set. It is too cool!

This all meshed together to match two challenges this week:

The Friday Mashup #154

and for Papertrey Ink's April Inspiration Archive

for this sunshiny card! Hey Spring is finally here!

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. 

Monochromatic Watercolor

I guess painting and watercolor are all the rage in paper crafting right now. How did I miss that? Well this week I decided to jump on the bandwagon and do a little watercolor painting of my own. I just bought some watercolor paper and might I add that this made the process a bit easier and less watery. 

I was inspired this week by Cas-ology #84 Challenge: Paint

 Friday Mash-up #144 Challenge: Monochromatic and Flowers

and Freshly Made Sketch #125

and I ended up with this...

I used Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, and Pool Party to make a watercolor ombre effect and then I embossed the large dahlia in white from the Regarding Dahlias stamp set. I punched out the corner instead of adding a shape and added my sentiment in Bermuda Bay ink. I'm loving sequins right now so I added some silver ones for a bit of bling. 

Happy weekend and thoughts of spring!

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. 

Winner, Winner

I am so thrilled to announce that this little lady received honorable mention at the Fusion Challenge for the red, white, and kraft card I made about a week ago. 

AND

honorable mention (Mashup Glamette) for The Friday Mashup

Go me! Yeah, sometimes it is the little things!

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?

Pumpkin Time

It is no secret that fall is my favorite season. I love the cool nights, baked goods, craft fairs, and leaves turning color. We also love visiting the pumpkin patch. We bought several pumpkins last weekend for cheap and we plan to do all our photo op stuff at the patch. 

This card was inspired by my serious love of pumpkins and fall. I combined a bunch of challenges for a seriously simple Halloween card. 

Color Throwdown #263 provided the perfect fall color assortment. 

Freshly Made Challenge #107 provided a super simple layout. No frills! 

Friday Mash-Up #131 with Spooky and Cas-ology #65 provided the inspiration. 

Last, but certainly not least, CAS-ual Fridays #117 provided a small finishing touch. 

The result is a spooky little card with lots of white space and a few fabulous details. I'm a bit obsessed with the weird white/cream colored pumpkins right now, but for my card I made a gray one. I love Stampin' Up's Jack of All Trades set...too bad it's retired!

Happy Fall y'all!

Falling Gently Thanks

I love autumn. It is by far my favorite season. I'm sad for people that don't really get to experience it in their part of the country or world. The downside is that this means winter is on the way; and if you know Wisconsin winters, you know that they feel like 10 months out of the year. 

I wanted to embrace this beautiful time of year with a fun fall card. I played along with a couple challenges and I was super excited with the results. 

First, I joined Dynamic Duos Challenge #73. Their color palette this week was rich and beautiful with Cajun Craze and Island Indigo as their two choices. 

Next, I mixed those colors into a clean layout from Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #106. I loved the idea of having a circle behind a simple banner. I chose to paper pierce mine. 

Last, I played with the Friday Mash-Up Challenge #130 by cutting out my fussy and time consuming leaves from Stampin' Up's Gently Falling set. I just love the sktechy look of it and they turned out even cuter once I watercolored them. I also used the leaves as a part of CASology's Week 64 Harvest Challenge. 

My finishing touch was a "Thanks" sentiment from the Stampin' Up set Yippee-Skippee! 

Happy Fall everyone!

Back to School

Back to School began this week for us. I had lots of mixed feelings at the beginning of this school year. On the one hand, I'm a teacher. I am beginning my 10th year of teaching and I love it. I always look forward and get nervous about meeting new students and having a routine. There is no job I would rather have. On the other hand, I'm now a mom. Owen has been a hoot this summer and is getting more fun by the day. I have enjoyed all the time I've gotten to spend with him and know now that I will have less time with him. 

My nephew, Austin, is beginning his first year of school and couldn't be more excited. He even let Aunt Manda take some pictures of him to capture the moment. 

Back to school reminds me of a quote from the movie Hope Floats. 

"Beginnings are usually scary. Endings are usually sad, but it's what's in the middle that counts."

There's more, but this is the part I really need to keep reminding myself of throughout the tough parts of the year. 

In honor of Back to School I decided to join a couple challenges this week with a Back to School theme. 

Cas-ual Fridays Challenge #114

Cas(E) This Sketch Challenge #44

Casology Cue Card #60

The Friday Mashup #126

I was excited to use the Vintage Picnic set by Papertrey Ink. I love the mixy-matchyness of the set. It reminds my of summer and fall at the same time, which is what going back to school reminds me of as well. I used my Copic markers again to color in the apples and picnic basket. I layed down a piece of washi tape to act as a blanket under my basket. Cute. Clean. Simple. Just my style. 

Everyone, have a great school year!