High-flying Birthday...

Happy Wednesday! The week is flying by! I'm back with the latest Embellish challenge. I am on a roll! LOL.

I stayed pretty literal to the challenge this week and used the exact shades depicted in the picture (which by the way, I must say, are always SO fab. I love how we get the polaroids of the colors in addition to the fun pics! Great job on the challenge pics, Ashley!!) So this one was, relatively speaking, probably the easiest from a color perspective for me. Scrapping and making cards for all occasions for my 3 (young) boys means lots of primary colors for me. This one is of course for another party we have coming up. Easy peasy as always, but I think perfect for the intended recipient - a soon to be 5 year old boy.

I combined a bunch of different stamp companies on this one - there's a little bit of CHF, PTI, LAD and even Rubber Romance(!) thrown in the mix for good measure. The grass was an accident actually - I was trying to figure out how to "ground" the building and I noticed a extra scrap from my place cards project that never found its way to the garbage can. I'm one of those crafters that has to clean up everything (stamps, paper and supplies) before starting the next project, so the green scrap totally jumped out at me. The brads are from SU. The helicopter body was covered in SU Crystal Effect for a bit more... effect! :)

Anyways, hope you like the card. I'm off to bed in a bit. See ya!

For the last week...

This is what I was working on (when I wasn't working or with the kiddos).

My hubs, SIL and I threw a 70th surprse birthday party for my father-in-law. Tons of work, but the party was a blast. People definitely seemed to have a blast - tons of laughter, chatting, dancing (and quite few beverages too!).

Definitely a night to remember.

I made the centerpieces (I got the idea somewhere on the web and then gave it my own touch!), placecards and invites too - although I forgot to take a pic of one. I'm going to have to track one down and do that. I really loved how everything came out. I used a whole host of sets in my aresenal - lots of PTI, an SU number set and a $1 Michael's stamp (that was on the aforementioned invite... - I really wish I had save an invite!) Obviously we used a golf theme (my FIL's an avid player).

It's very nice to be winding down an amazing weekend and now I hoping I will get a breather in the week coming up. Besides prepping for the party, I've had a crazy busy time at work, parent-teacher conferences for the boys at night (they are all doing awesome in school!), on top of the usual every day fun.

Rainy... with a {Definite} Chance of Sports

Hello, hello on this rainy, {but not too rainy to cancel our sports line-up, but too rainy to have the other boys watch and support their brother who is on the field} Saturday. Ughh - we have had this horrible stretch of luck of beautiful weather during the week and rainy weather on Saturday and Sunday. But luckily we are getting most of the games in today.

Anyways, so since I'm at home, while my hubs is out there with one of the boys, I'll take some time to post something I made a couple of days ago. This was actually the first pink project to kick off this trend I seem to be on of late. I made this birthday gift card holder (including the handmade flower embellie) for one of Alex's friends. So about gift cards... I must admit I am a fan of them. Yes, I know that on one hand, they may seem impersonal, but it truly is the most practical way to ensure your celebrant gets what they want. And at the end of the day, let's face it... the receiver knows best what they want. :) And while I'm thinking about it, I can't imagine what I would do without registries (especially for showers) - I think they are the best thing to come along in gift giving. LOL. Do you know that the local toy store has started a registry program too - LOVE it! It's always a bonus when you can go it a store, know exactly what the child wants and can leave with a wrapped gift that only needs a card - wahoo. It can't get better than that... The owners are geniuses. Nothing like the value of convenience - which is worth a ton to me when you have birthday parties to go to almost every weekend.

So back to the g/c holder - I used one of Lauren's Timeless Templates to make this card holder. It was such a snap. I'd been planning on getting a template - I have loved each of the ones that come out every month, but just hadn't gotten around to it. But that was until the Cash and Charge Collection came out this month. I feel like she'd designed it just for me - seriously! And I love how this template actually came with 3 - what a deal. I can't imagine how much time she pours into making these templates for people like, but I absolute appreciate it very much so :)

I know these templates will get much use in my house...

5 Hours and 10 minutes...

That's mainly why this is late!

The whole fam was planted on the couch watching last night's very exciting (though at times thoroughly frustrating) Yankees play off game vs. the Angels. Yep - it went 13 innings and the Yankees finally won and are now up 2-0. We are huge fans in our house, so everyone stayed up and mostly made it. My two littler guys made it up well past regulation (maybe the 11th inning) and my oldest kiddo made it the whole way. Very fun and quality family time for all.

Anyways, I made this card for the challenge sometime in the beginning of the game - luckily my crafting area is right by the TV in the basement which means I can usually do both... except for when the game gets as interesting as it did last night ;) Plus, who can resist the sound of three boys asking mom to join them on the couch... gotta soak it all in before they get to big, kwim?

So back to the card again... I read on Naomi's blog about Savitri's daughter having her own challenge, so how could I resist (I suppose I would have found it on my own seeing as how I have Savitri's blog in my reader, but that was the sequence of events)?? It was such a sweet blog entry, as well as an easy and very versatile sketch. I know it is late, but I'll post anyway to share!!

The image is colored with copics (I really love these sunflowers) the card was finished with scraps of Basic Grey Cupcake collection, PTI CS, ribbon and a random button. That's it! Thanks for the sketch M, and I'll keep an eye out for your next one! :)

What's Black, White and...

...red all over. Answer: My card for this month's PTI Blog Hop! :)

Hello, hello... SO excited for another monthly blog hop. Can't wait to see all the creative goodies out in paper crafting blogland. This month, Nichole called for out take on texted background. So this was my take on it. I still am old school when it comes to the thinking about the newspapery text on actual newspaper - hence using Soft Stone as my base! I then out with a polka dot background (really lovin' PDB II - the spacing of the dots are fab and perfect, imo) in Fresh Snow and then stamped the scripty text in grey to finish my background.

I decided to focus on the newspapery text to ground my big 'ol red flower (get it? - red all over LOL). A perfectly picked button with a black bow and there you have it. Black, white and red all over. ;) Now I'm off to check all the other texty-creations. Thanks for visiting.

Deets: (All PTI, unless noted) Stamps - Friends Til the End, BB Text Style, Birthday Basics; CS - Soft Stone and Pure Poppy, Ink: Fresh Snow, VersaMagic Red, Versamark; Other: Button, DMC Floss, Ranger Embossing Powder

Back (FINALLY!) with RSCC 12

It's a been a busy last few weeks - where does the time go? Somehow, a day turns into a week in just a blink of an eye. Crazy how it just flies. Anyways... getting back into the stamping swing of things with a challenge and some new goodies. My little obsession with this whole stamping thing really cracks me up sometimes. In the whole scheme of things, it is such a random hobby for me... but I think that's why I love it so... it is sorta the square trying to fit in the circles of my life. Scrapping fits for the most part, since I have kids and lots of pics of them, but making cards... not so much. It would be so much easier and time efficient for me just to buy the cards - I'm always saying that time is flying anyway, but there is a certain something about making them... must be why I am stubborn when I comes to making them and not giving into the more sensible choice. Oh well. Just one of the many thoughts in my brain right now. The other ones being what I'm going to have a for a snack (for some reason, I'm hungry tonight) and my agenda of things to accomplish at work tomorrow...

Soooo, back to my card. Here is for Dawn's latest color challenge. I'm so drawn to doing these. I seriously can't believe how long I've personally been keeping this up (given how my stamping really ebbs and flows depending on the rest of the landscape of my life at the time).

This new PTI button set it fun and I have to say, I've never had a thing for fruit when I comes to stamping, but lately, it seems like I might be wrong about that notion (wouldn't be the first time - LOL).

Lovely as a...Friend

I've been working on a couple of cards for a blog contest on MoxieWorld.com. She runs contests pretty often, and they are fun to try when I have a free moment. The current one running was to create a card that somehow incorporates a tree. This is one of the cards that I made. I picked Father Knows Best as my prize for "winning" PTI's GSS from a couple of months ago. I had always liked the set, but somehow it would always get bumped in my cart when it came time to order. I used the tree from that set, along with a sentiment put together from the Friends Til the End set. I colored in the leaves with copics to give it a little extra. I liked the way it came out and will save it to send to friend, for no reason other than just because! :)

(Can you tell that I've been using all the handy dandy tricks I learned on the sideoats and scribbles blog to edit my pics? LOL)

Deets: Father Knows Best, Friends Til the End; CS: PTI Kraft, Spring Moss and Melon Berry; Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa and PTI Melon Berry; Other: Bitty Dots ribbon (Melon Berry), Spring Moss button and Copics

Inspired to Relax

This month's blog hop theme was summer-inspired! We are supposed to pick something summer related and use that as a springboard. Given that it has rained all but 5 days in the month of June (a FB friend mentioned this tid-bit in his status update yesterday as it rained AGAIN!), I decided to look for summer inspiration in a magazine... where is is always sunny!

This pic called to me as soon as I say it and it definitely screamed lazy days of summer to me. How relaxing and inviting this chair looks!! I would love to curl up with a good book and kick my flip flops over the side too. :)

But since I can't, I made the card instead - LOL ... I used the colors, drink, pillow, sunglasses and flip flops and built my card around those things. I tilted the green label to mimic the pillow laying on the lounge chair. I think this makes for a fun summery way to say congrats to a friend. Thanks for checking out my try at the blog hop. Can't wait to see how everyone else was inspired by summer!

Deets:

Stamps: PTI Day at the Beach; Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; CS: PTI New Leaf, Lemon Tart and Kraft; Other: Scarlet Jewel twill, white thread, dimensionals and Kaiser Rhinestones

Something very NEW for me...

I LOVE to take pics. I take them all the time of the kiddos... I try very hard to capture every moment in my family's lives. BUT, that does not mean I do it very well. So I've decided to try to get better at it (and hopefully get better pics of my cards in the process too).

This started when I stumbled upon this this really neat blog - sideoats and scribbles. It's a really neat blog... one that I'm still exploring, but the reason I stumbled up it was that I had seen Lisa's blog highlighted on someone else's blog because of the photography toots she (I think) started recently. Although she is also an amazing (and published) papercrafter too! :)

I tried the sharpening challenge this week, and in the process incorporated the white balance lesson as well. It's definitely a very beginner try at this, but I have learned so much already. I've had Adobe on my laptop, but think that before tonight had used only the automatic fixes for the pics. So let's give it a whirl with Scribbles Challenge #3.

So here is the original pic. This is one of the thank you gift card holders I made for my kiddos' teachers (I made a bunch of these, as my kids have lots of teachers to thank since they are in school and afterschool all day).

And here is my new and (hopefully) improved picture. Can you tell a difference?

I started by doing the levels adjustment, which was difficult since there was no white on my card (plus it was my first time!), so I focused on the top of the white cabinet that the card was sitting on. Then I started on the actual challenge by sharpening the images using the 2 filters. Lisa, your directions are really clear... but I definitely need practice though, as I wasn't sure how much to adjust without it getting too distorted and grainy. I had to try it a couple times, because I couldn't tell how the card was going to looking to look until I pressed "ok" to make the dialog box disappear. Maybe I should've sharpened more... not too sure yet. But I do like how the rock and roll technique I used for the limes really came through much clearer on the second pic. :)

So that ends today's experiment- LOL. I will definitely be following along Lisa's blog for both her creativity and photography tips and lessons going forward. And practicing lots too. I guess these techniques also go for photographs too, right?? (hmmm... question for another day/experiment - now it's time for bed!)

Deets:

Stamps: SU Tart and Tangy, PTI Day at the Beach; CS: Lemon Tart, Spring Moss; Ink: SU Kiwi Kiss and Always Artichoke (rock and roll technique); Other: Spring Moss grosgrain.

Another color challenge - snail mail

Whew, it's been a little while since I last posted. The last couple of weeks of school coincided with a busy run at work, hence not too much creating until last night. Here is my try at Dawn's latest color challenge. Loved the colors - I don't use coral-ly colors much, but I loved how the combo came together. :) I also love how PTI has matching copics and are starting to create more coloring sets. I like the look of cards created solid stamps, but I also really love to color and the result of those kinds of cards. It gives PTI even that much more versatility to all kinds of stampers and well as diversity so that all their cards don't necessarily have the same type of look.

This is my first time inking up this fun new PTI set, and I actually have a couple of ideas swirling around, so I am going to have to give them a whirl the next time I sit down at my craft desk. Hope your week is less soggy than ours. I think there is a rain cloud just parked long-term over NJ...

Deets: Stamps - PTI Vintage Picnic; Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; CS - PTI Melon Berry, Berry Sorbet, Cream & Bitty Dots, SU Chocolate Chip; Other: PTI buttons!!, SU Ribbon, dimensionals

So Very...

Hello, hello (and good morning!) Quick card and quick post for today. I like how this card turned and LOVE that it was pretty quick in the making, once I figured out my layout and used up some scraps. It's not based on a sketch or anything - I just picked up a bunch of the aforementioned scraps that I had and went from there. This was the first time my set of Star Prints saw any ink and I must say that I love all the different patterns each of the stars have. Very versatile set with many uses. I also like the font - so very different from any other set I have, so it really stands out.

Anyway, it's raining here AGAIN today. The color theme for the week here - grey, grey and more grey. Where is the summer weather from the weekend? I am crossing my fingers that summer gets here by the weekend.

I Wanna...Soak Up the Sun!

Hello, hello! My week is off to a great start (maybe a spillover from the beautiful weather we had all weekend long?) and to top it off, I was able to find time to make a second card this week. Two in two days - not a usual occurrence for me, but I'll happily take it. I am still multi-taking and making another EOY teacher card using this week's SFYTT. This time I paired the sentiment, "You deserve it" with another of the phrases that come with this fun set. I think it still gets the message across to my boys' teachers. ;) I got creative and put a few colors together that I don't think I've used before (at least not that I can remember). I think it has a summery feel and I have to say that I really like Rich Avocado. I don't have that color (ie. inks, ribbons etc) other than the sheets that came in the sampler pack - I think that the color must have came out during a crafting dry spell. But I think that I will have to invest in the ribbon on a future PTI order. I was originally thinking it had a wintery or even autumny feel, but I think that it works well on a summery card too.

Hope that you're having a great Monday night. :)

Deets:

Stamps: PTI - A Day at the Beach; Inks: PTI - Berry Sorbet, Versamark Dazzle, SU-Always Artichoke; CS: PTI - Summer Sunrise, Rich Avocado, Berry Sorbet, Soft Stone; Other: PTI Berry Sorbet twill, dimensionals

RSCC #8 - You Deserve it! :)

Couldn't let the weekend pass without trying Dawn's latest color challenge. I think the deadline is tonight, so I might even be on time - bonus! :) Anyway, I decided to use the colors and make a thank you card to give to one of the boys' teachers. The end of the school is coming up quickly (how did that happen?), and I need to get on our thank yous. I thought that this pair of sentiments is perfect for any teacher at the end of the school year....

We had a fun weekend - the weather was amazing - it felt like summer both days (then again it IS summer - LOL). It was great all the same.

Can't believe another work week is set to start. No travelling this week, except for a lunch in the city, and I got a couple of big deadlines (and successfully I might add!) behind me last week, so hopefully there will be a moment to create during the week. Even though I'd love to been bit more consistent in my crafting, I am thankful for the time I have (makes me enjoy it more, kwim?), and even more so for having a career that keeps me as busy as it does. NO complaints here. It's a hobby afterall. ;)

Have a great week. Hope to check in soon.

Deets:
Stamps: PTI - A Day at the Beach; CS: PTI Cream and Kraft: Ink: SU Pink Passion, Cream, Memento Rich Cocoa, Adirondack Latte (serves as a great Kraft colored ink!); Other: Targe $1 ribbon, dimensionals

Pop of Pink!

Quickkkkk post!!! It's been a busy first few days of the summer work-wise!! Day trip in and out of Cleveland yesterday, and today, I'm off to my littlest's parents celebration at school this morning (Mother's and Father's day combined), and then off on a train down to DC for the rest of the day. I feel like Plane, Trains and Automobiles - literally! :) But I WILL fit it all in - I'm determined like that.

So fitting it all in also includes Dawn's color challenge this week - LOL. Loved the colors. I'm definitely trying to break out of my blue/brown combo that I seem to fall into time and time again!! I finally using more and more of the pink papers I have in my stash. So thank you, Dawn, for this week's color inspiration.

Ok, gotta gggoooooo! See you again soon.

Stripes of Sunshine for my first Bloghop!

After my excitement of being highlighted on Nichole's blog for my All-Star Team card for this month's GSS, I'm so glad to get the chance to join in the fun of this month's bloghop. This is my first PTI bloghop and I am so excited to be here! :) I have wanted to join in for one for sooo long, but something always came up, either I wasn't around due ot work, or couldn't get my card done on time. But this time I wasn't going to miss it, since with today being a holiday and us being around. I can't wait to check out everyone's creation tonight too.

I LOVE using yellow and purple together. I had this flower laying aroundas, I didn't quite fit the card it was originally intended for the first time around. But I had this idea to put yellow stripes together and I immediately thought of pairing them with something purple, and this flower jumped to my thoughts. Good thing I was able to track it down!!

Well, hope that you enjoy the card, and that you had a wonderful last day of the long weekend. We did! We had beautiful weather - it only rained once here for us, when it was origianl forecase to rain many times over the weekend. Lucky for us it only rained 1x and after dark last night. And it didn't cool the weather down at all for today (which was a good thing).

It was a great way to start of the summer!!!

Deets:

Stamps: Friends Til the End, BB - Spots and Dots, Shapes by Design,

CS: Summer Sunrise, Lemon Tart, Stamper's Select White

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa;

Other: Lemon Tart Twill

Giving the Gridlines a Go...

Hello, hello!

These were my submissions for PTI's April GSS. I've been doing submitting cards for the past couple months since I've gotten back in the full swing of stamping, and I hope to continue to do so. I submitted a card for May too, so we'll see. I might even submit a second card, if I get a chance to take a pic and get it in on time. I must admit that getting the pics edited and then uploaded is such a time sink for me. Something seems to happen to my attention space between the time I finish a card and when I eventually get it uploaded. Have to see what I can do about that! LOL Anyway, here are the cards!

Better Late than Never!

This was my card based on Dawn's most recent color challenge. I was on time in making this (I finished it over the week), but missed the deadline to post. Oh well - so I figured I'd still post it anyway. I had to get creative with the Smoky Shadow requirement of the sketch, since I haven't had the opportunity to get. I didn't think I "needed" it... but guess what will be in my cart the next time I place a PTI order! ;) So my solution for Smoky Shadow - lightening up Tuxedo black by re-stamping the image in SU craft white right on top. It took the edge off the black and gave it a softer look, imo. Otherwise the card is pretty self-explanatory. I made it for my niece's First Communion, which we celebrated over the weekend.

Thanks for checking out my card!

Deets:

Stamps: PTI Everyday Blessings and Mega Mixed Messages (reach for this set ALL the time now, it seems); CS: PTI Raspberry Fizz Bitty Dot, Stamper's Select White, SU Regal Rose; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Craft White, Regal Rose (craft); Other: SU Regal Rose ribbon, dimensionals, Labels 1 and Square Nesties

First Try at a SFYTT!

Hello, Hello! I gave this week's, I {Heart} to Stamp's SFYTT a whirl for the first time last night and used the sketch to create a birthday card. Now I know it doesn't look like a birthday card based on the sentiment I chose for the front (I did use a birthday sentiment on the inside though), but this card is kinda doing double duty. I made it for a friend that I have been lucky to re-connect with after many years of not being in touch. She was my grade school best friend and we have been having the best time catching up and getting close again. I had been meaning to make her a card with this sentiment (which I LOVE), and since it is her birthday tomorrow, I put it all together.

I had originally planned on used the PTI Bitty Dots paper, but then as I went along, I decided that none of the colors in the pack really worked. So I basically improvised and used the Melon Berry Bitty Dot ribbon and put a few of pieces together to make the panel as called for in the sketch. I thought it was different and hopefully adds some interest...

We have had summer weather here for the last few days - it is a HEAT WAVE. Not that I am really complaining, but we basically went straight from winter straight to summer! I have a tan to prove it and everything - and that was just from one day out in the sun for the boys' baseball and soccer games. Crazy. Sadly though, as per accuweather.com, the temps are supposed to drop more than 20 degrees to the 60s by Thursday. Again... crazy! But we're enjoying the weather while we can. I must admit, I do love not freezing while getting in and out of the car these last few days.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Deets:
Stamps: PTI Life and Birthday Basics (on the inside), CS: PTI Summer Sunrise and Stamper Select white; Ink: PTI Summer Sunrise, Melon Berry, Ocean Tides, Spring Moss; Other: PTI Melon Berry and Ocean Tides ribbons

Make A Wish...

Hello Hello! Today flew by quickly and was a little shorter work-wise than usual, as it was Bring your Child to Work Day. I brought my 2 older boys and we all had a blast. My work had a set agenda for a small part of the day, but otherwise they spent the day with me. They were great and I was so glad to have their company today and have my co-workers see how awesome they are. ;)

Tonight I whipped up this card so that it is ready for the mail in the am. I paired an oldie, but very much a goodie, with some of my newest (and almost newest) PTI purchases. I like mixing up the new with the old. I hate to think that (or fall into the habit) that I am only buying sets to use for a very short time before just moving on to the next. I like the PTI Text Boxed set - very versatile, although I must admit, after loving all the samples and buying it, I had a hard time actually using it at first. But then I just kept at it and with this set, simpler really does end up better. At least that is what works for me. All of my stuff ends up being pretty simple anyway, but I like the clean, fresh and simple look anyway.

Hope that you are having a great week. Sooooo glad another Friday is almost here. It is supposed be like summer here on the East Coast - high 80s through the whole weekend. Can't wait. We have lots 'o games this weekend. Each of the boys have a game on Saturday and then practice and tryouts for summer teams on top of that.

Well, I'm off to the next thing... which is the treadmill for me.

Have a great one!

Deets:

Stamps: PTI Text Boxed, Mega Mixed Messages, Spots and Dots (fun set!); CS: PTI Soft Stone, Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blush; Ink: SU Wild Wasabi; Other: PTI Ribbon - New Leaf and Berry Sorbet, New Leaf button, dimensionals

Doggie and Dino Birthdays

Quick post to say hello and check in. These are 2 birthday cards I made - my middle guy had 2 parties in the same weekend a couple of weeks. And believe it or not, it's not that uncommon around here for any of the boys. I think we have 2 this weekend again. My kids are still at the age where everyone mostly has big parties and lots of friends.

Both cards are colored with my lovely prismas and gamsol. I really love using both the prismas and the copics - they both have such different results. I also like how by pairing Wild Wasabi with different colors, it worked just as well for a girl card as it did for the boy birthday card. I had originally bought Wild Wasabi thinking about all the ways I could use it for the boys scrapbook pages and boy cards, but just by pairing it with pink, it worked for a girl card as well. I love pink and green together, but normally don't pair the pink with such a dark green... Now I know! :)

So glad the week is half way through, but I can't believe how quickly it is moving. I have a full load at work, so the days are flying by in a blink of an eye. Which in the whole scheme of things is better than dragging, or worse not being busy at all with a job. Crazy times... So on that note, I better head to bed to be refreshed for a new day tomorrow. :)

Deets: 1st card - Stamp: Elzybells, LAD; CS: PTI Sweet Blush, Stamper's Select White, SU Wild Wasabi; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Wild Wasabi; Basic Grey PP; Other: Basic Grey brads, dimensionals; PTI Sweet Blush Swiss Dots ribbon, Prismas and Gamsol

Dino Birthday: Stamps, CHF Little Guy and Tags sets: CS: SU Wild Wasabi, Stamper's Select White, Basic Grey PP; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Other: Prismas and Gamsol