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!

A summer card for season

Hello, hello! :) Here's a summer birthday card that I made this week for the daughter of one of our close friends. She turned 8 and so I wanted to put a bunch of bright fun colors together to celebrate her birthday. The thought of combining the coral and the pink came by way of a fun accident. I had 2 scraps of those colors next to each other in my scrap bag and the combo caught my eye. I thought it looked fun and just went with it. So I actually had my own color inspiration! :) I hope that she liked it and that I have a few more of these color inspirations on a regular basis.

I used a fun set from CHF - the stamps had been getting a little dusty, so I thought it was time to re-visit and use them again, especially since it is SUMMER. Normally I would color in the images, but in this case I just used stamped them on different colors of CS. I like the look and have to remember to do this again.

...So maybe the break from my CHF stamps was a positive thing creatively for me. ;) Stay tuned to see what else I can come up with creatively.

Booglie Birthday

I love this little monster from the Little Guy set from CHF. He looks like a happy little monster (despite the big eyes). I always thought he looked like he was waving his arms for attention, but when I decided to use him for this weekend's birthday card (only 1 this weekend!), I thought he could also be holding a flag. So I searched around and found this flag in an old SU set.



I had to omit a word that was part of the stamp, but it all worked out ok in the end.

Even though it was for a little boy (as my cards usually are!), I thought that glitter was in order on the stars. ;)

Hope you had a great weekend! Enjoy the start of the week.

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

Teacher Thanks

Hello, Hello.

I'm winding down from a wonderful L-O-N-G, 5-day weekend with the family. Back to reality to tomorrow for everybody in my house. The kids are back in school after Spring Break and I'm back to work. Today was a very nice bonus - one of those Teacher in Service days, that happened to fall on a Monday after Spring Break, which was preceded by 4 half days for Teacher's Conferences! It feels like it has been a month since my boys have been in school!

I actually made this card before the holidays. My middle guy is in kindergarten, and I know I have mentioned this before, but I just {heart} his teacher. She is so sweet and my guy is loving her class. He's learning in leaps and bounds.

Every year, his elementary school's PTA sponsors a very fun mom's night out that includes silent auction. All proceeds go to his school, so how could you go wrong. So the silent auction includes teacher stuff - most of the teacher's donate an outing doing something with them (some do pizza dinners, ice cream runs, trip to the mall for a Build-a Bear etc.). My middle guy's teacher auctioned off a trip to Barnes and Noble and lunch with her and a friend of the winner's choice. I won the auction and they recently did the Barnes and Noble outing. My middle guy and his friend had a blast, and his teacher even bought them each books. Such a NICE gesture and fun time for the boys. I was really appreciative and this was the thank you card that I sent her. Gotta love our teachers!

Have a great nite! See ya.

Deets:

Stamps: CHF - Daisy Jar and Making the Grade (sentiment); Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa; Paper: PTI Stamper's Select White, Lemon Tart, BG PP; Other: PTI Lemon Tart twill, dimensionals and copics (can I even begin to tell you how excited I am that PTI is going to start carrying copics this month AND on top of that - putting together sets of 3s to match PTI colors?! Sooooo excited!)

Catching up

Hello, Hello. It's a been a couple of weeks since I have had a chance to check in, so now I need to catch up and share all the cards that I have made in the last couple of weeks. It's been a busy time - I think it's definitely due to the fact that spring is in the air. :) Soooo happy about that. We're moving on to the next season sporting-wise, after having finished a very exciting basketball season yesterday. My oldest kiddo had his last game yesterday and the team finished with a victory in their tournament. We're starting to move into the competitive world of trophies that they earn, vs. the participation trophy. They were so excited. But I have to say, I was very proud at the the sportsmanship of the boys. The boys played awesome - they have come so far in a season and it was also wonderful to see what great team spirit they had as well. They won as a team yesterday, which made the win even better.

So onto the cards... these were for {of course} two birthday parties. This was for the parties the boys had last weekend. We had another 2 this past weekend, so I'll share those later this week. Moving onto spring sports in more ways than one... I used an IA Sporty Kids for these cards, colored in with prismas and gamsol. Sentiment is from CHF.

Have a great Monday!

Comforting Polka Dots (and in less than 10 minutes!)

Hello, Hello!!

Tonight was one of those nights when I just wanted to get something done, but really not expend many brain cells. :) As a backdrop - I walked in the door well after 9pm tonight. Long day in the office. After eating a quick bite (I hadn't eaten dinner and was starving!), I decided to get creative as a means of just unwinding from the day. The kids were fast asleep already (I hate when I miss them before bed), but luckily, I saw them for longer than usual this morning because I started my day by volunteering at my middle guy's school. Today was the big community service day and we packed donated items for Operation Shoebox with the kids. FUN morning (that started at 7:45am) and it was all the better knowing that our packages were going to be heading to one of our soldiers.

So back to my late evening crafty endeavors... I decided I wanted to make a card, but I wanted to make a quick one. No long drawn out process/no agonizing over the layout to come up with something unique (well, at least for me)/no going and searching through all my stuff under drop cloths/and definitely looking through oodles of challenges on the internet... way tooo tired for that. So I just made a card - and in about 10 minutes I must add, from start to finish. Not only was it simple (which is all I usually do anyway), but quick. Very refreshing in a way (LOL). You wouldn't believe how long it can take me to make a "simple" one-layer card! And the bonus is that I like how it came out.

There's nothing earth shattering to tell about this card, other than it is for a dear friend that I have re-connected with after years of no contact for no other reason then we grew up and apart. Hey - just like my card - no drama!

I used this fun Kim Hughes/CHF set that I only got recently (took advantage of their recent Valentine's sale!).

Anyway, I'm pooped and I have to do it all over again tomorrow. Nite!

Deets: CHF Comforting Hugs; Paper: PTI Melon Berry and Stamper's Select White; Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; Other: Paper Piercer, Copics, American Crafts ribbon

Post-Valentine's...

Happy Day after Valentines Day {LOL}!

Since is it no longer Valentines (and I am still recovering from all the Valentines made this week), here is a birthday card I made for my FIL. I actually made this a couple of months ago during my blog-free holidays, so I figured I'd share now. I haven't gotten a chance to stamp in the last few days, but I am not complaining this time at all. All of my stamping stuff is currently under big drop cloths because.... we're finishing our basement. Sooooo excited. We have been using our basement a lot as the boys get bigger. It is pseudo done (ie: we have pieces of carpet laid and there is heat pumping into it), but it is not quite the same as a finished basement. All the boys' toys and my stamping stuff are downstairs, and that's where the Wii is set up, so it'll be great when it is all done. It is going to take a couple of months, so my plan today is to go and selectively pick out stuff that I use the most and bring it upstairs to the guest room. {GULP} This is quite a task for me (it was actually my goal to get this done yesterday... but somehow the day got away from me, so I'm trying again today). I better get on it. I have a few cards I have to make before the end of the weekend! Luckily I still have tomorrow too, since I have the off from work. {Look at me already hedging... LOL}

Have a great one!

Stamps: CHF; CS: PTI Kraft and Stamper's Select White; SU Baja Breeze; Ink: Brilliance Rich Cocoa; Other: Sewing machine/thread, dimensionals, Prismas and Gamsol, paper piercer

Ready (and AHEAD OF SCHEDULE!), Get Set, Go!

Hello, hello.

For once I am on time... actually better than on time - I am ahead of schedule AND did everything that I wanted to do for the kids' Valentine's school parties. :) Wahoo.

Last night I finished making all of the kids' Valentines for their classmates and teachers. For my oldest guy who is 3rd grade, I made sour cream containers (the blue ones in the pic) and put Hershey Kisses in each one. He wanted a sports theme, with no hearts or the word, Valentine. So funny, but I was happy to oblige (no need for mushiness at his age yet - I'm not mentally ready for that next stage.

My middle guy opted for the pre-made (the horror! - just kidding) so I just made teacher Valentines for him (the red sour cream holders).

And my littlest guy was giving out fruit snacks, so I sorta concocted a folded card of sorts to hold his treats. I went with a robot/alien/out of this world theme. I was pretty pleased that I came up with the combination all of my own! My little scene combined 2 different stamps sets, but I think it went together well.

The valentines all got the stamp of approval and were a hit and all the boys are excited to give their Valentines out in the morning. Final count made... 24 for the oldest, 37 for my middle guy (he actually has 2 classes that were doing Valentines) and 27 for the littlest. Whew - lots of love to go around!

And tonight I made mini heart shaped brownies for my oldest son's after school counselors. I work our of the house full-time and all the of boys stay the full day of school. We take advantage of all that our school programs. ;) I wanted to make sure that I sent something in to let them know that we really appreciate all that they do for us.

So while it has been a late night for the last two days, I am ready for tomorrow. It's been fun and I really have had a such a blast creating.

I'm offically ready for tomorrow (well, actually later this morning!). The only bummer is that I can only go to one my kids' class parties since they are all basically at the same time tomorrow morning - being in more than 1 place at a time is still on my list of things to accomplish - LOL. But not today. Oh well.

I got it!

I'm getting ready to take off on a business trip for the next couple of days, but I wanted to quickly share the card I made last night before jumping in the black car, which is coming in about 10 minutes. I've off to the Big Easy - it's my first time visiting, and even though it is for work and not vacay, I'm hoping to get some time to explore the city, or at the very least get a chance to have a great meal. ;) We'll see how it goes...

Anyway, back to my card, which again my newest set, Little Guy, from CHF. This one came together quickly once I figured out how I wanted to give this little monster a little background. I was going to leave him a some white background, but then wanted him to pop of the page and look like he was jumping for the ball. I love his bulging eye!

Hope you have a great next couple of days! I hope to get a chance to scrap a few pages soon. I had given myself a loose target of a 2 page layout every weekend, but didn't get a chance to do that the last couple. But on the flip side, I have gotten a chance to make a bunch cards (for no other reason than just because), so I still consider myself successful on the making time for myself to enjoy my hobby overall! {Check the work/life/me time balance box!}

Deets:

Stamps: CHF Little Guy, SU (sentiment); CS: SU Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, PTI Stamper's Select White and BG PP; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Riding Hood Red; Other: Prismas/Gamsol; twine; SU eyelet, crop-o-dile and dimensionals

Boys will be boys

While I don't papercraft well or enough to really have a "style" yet, I suppose, like most people, there are types of images that I gravitate towards. And this collage image is certain isn't the norm for me. I haven't been drawn to the realistic style of images and instead usually go for more the cutesy or cartoony image. So maybe it was a combination of just wanting to try new things and the fact this is a boy image (which I always love) that made me just add one to the shopping cart on the CHF site in my last purchase. I love everything about this little guy: the age (love the post toddler, but still has enough baby in him), the outfit he is wearing and the quote. I love that it has a modern look (via the clothes and shoes), but still has a worn, shabby look.

Since getting back into card making on a steadier basis, I've been trying to work on my coloring skills. This image helped in that the shading was kinda drawn in and gave me guide to follow. I have been trying to think about shading as more than just more or less of the color in an area, but more like other colors and shades of the main color to compliment as well. For example, I tried to incorporate yellow-ish tones that had greenish-ness on the sleeves to show where the light would hit on the areas on the inner part of his arms around the elbows up to the wrist. Still needs a lot of practice, but I'd like to think that there is some progress on this front! I love that this craft stretches other parts of me and my brain... love this switch of gears after a long day of working with numbers and finance.

Deets:

Stamp: Boys will be boys collage; CS: PTI Kraft, SU Riding Hood Red and Crate Paper; Ink: Stazon Timber Brown; Other: Dimensionals, Prismas and Gamsol, BG button, twine

Lots of Dots

Whew, I can't believe that it is another Sunday night already. It was a hectic week and sadly, this is the first night that I have gotten a chance to stamp since last weekend. A long day in Chicago for work, a few more late ones in the office, a PTA meeting Thursday night, the usual busy weekend, and here we are already. I know that it has been a busy week when Grey's Anatomy season premiere is still on my DVR waiting for me. But I wanted to get in a card (gave away 2 this weekend for family birthdays, so I better replenish) and at least a 2 page layout done (both accomplished!) before I cleaned up and watched that ep of Grey's.

This card is base on CHF's color challenge for the week. I don't have any of the Prism papers, which they sell, so I subbed in some SU and PTI. Tried a distressing of the edges and a little sponging again... still give myself a half hearted "ehhh" for the sponging effort. Really gotta work on it, b/c for some reason I keep wanting to incorporate it into my cards lately, but then spend all this time staring at it, and not totally happy with the results. Must practice and try again. I built this whole card around wanting to use that corner vine... and this is what I came up with for tonight.

Deets:

Stamps: CHF - Four Square, Inkadoo sentiment; CS: SU Mellow Moss, Baroque Burgundy (waaayyy retired!) and PTI Sweet Blush; Ink: SU Baroque Burgundy, VersaMagic Tea Leaves, Ranger Adirondack Latte; Other: Dimensionals, PTI Sweet Blush polka dot ribbon

Happy, Happy Days

I've been doing a lot of papercrafting in recent weeks and this weekend is no different. Mind you, making 2 cards and 3 scrapbook pages is quite a bit for me when you consider my past volume of work!

Anyways, I used a couple of challenges done to ink up some new stamps and add to my card supply. It's nice not to have to rush and make a card EVERY time you need it.

Both cards used CHF stamps. Maybe other people are like me when it comes to new stamps and stamps companies (well, new when it comes to me). I go to my new stamps over and over again. I've made (relatively speaking) quite a lot of cards with these new sets, and I have added to my little CHF collection once again this week. :) They are running a great sale (it is actually still going on) to make room for the new products and stamp sets that are coming in.

I have never taken much notice until this year (I guess give that I am making cards on a more regular basis), but it really seems like all the paper crafting sites are discounting quite a bit. I guess my finance background never turns off. I wonder how much the downturn in the economy and overall nervousness of consumers have affected the craft industry. Even though the price points of these products are for the most part relatively low comparatively to a new home, car or something larger like that, I can't seen how it hasn't been affected by everything going on. So I'd be curious to see how much discounting is going on this year compared to past years when overall consumer sentiment is much more positive.

Well, back to the cards... the first card is based of Beate's sketch challenge this week. Fun sketch and I worked on trying to match patterns together in a more eye-pleasing way. I have a hard time with that.

Second card was just playing around, b/c I wanted to use the image and the Adirondack ink pad, both of which I picked up at CHF on sale. I have read lots of good things about the Ranger pads, so I had to check it out. Plus I was feeling in a fall sort of mood. The weather is starting to turn here now in NJ. It is getting cooler in the morning and in the evenings and is apparent that summer is on its last legs during the warmest part of the day....

Details:

1st Card:

Stamps: CHF Fall Silhouettes and sentiment; CS: PTI Berry Sorbet, Stamper's Select White; SU Kiwi Kiss, Barely Banana; Ink: Kiwi Kiss and Berry Sorbet; Other: Berry Sorbet ribbon, scallop border punch, slot punch

2nd Card:

Stamps: CHF Small Daisy and sentiment; CS: SU Baja Breeze, Tangerine Tango, Barely Banana; Ink: Ranger Adirondack Latte; Other: Scallop border punch, ribbon (Martha Stewart), Dimensionals, Paper Piercer

Two more cards that I have made this week. I still am on a roll and playing with the CHF sets. I took advantage of their sale from the last couple of weeks and bought myself some more stamps (although, it's not like a I really needed the sale... I'm just saying!)

These are 2 birthday cards going out to family this week. I went for more an autumny feel (color-wise) with both cards. One is going out on my cousin's birthday (oops), but I'll also be sure to post a birthday greeting on FB tomorrow, so hopefully that will make up for it. I used LAD sentiments for both cards. I really like the laid back scripty font of that set. I find myself using it often.

Both cards are simple in layout and embellishment, but again, that's been what I've been leaning to these days when I have been making cards.

Anyway, this will be short since I HAVE to get to bed. Heading into the city tomorrow for the day, and those work days are always longer because of the commute.