Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie...

My little niece Gracie will be turning 1 in a few days...I just can't believe it!! It seems like yesterday when my brother called me from Colorado to share the most exciting news..she had finally arrived..safe and healthy! She is the most adorable, cutest, loving little baby girl..I just wish they lived closer to us..I know Nora and her will be great friends when they get a bit older.. they are only 4 months apart!! I created this little card for her using once again my Papertrey Ink stamps. I love the sheep in the My Punny Valentine set. I just get a warm and fuzzy baby feeling whenever I use it..It is so whimsical and classic for a little one!! I decided to use the sentiment Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie!! I just love that saying for a little girl..she definitely is a little sweetie pie! I stamped the image and then cut it out.. I like cutting out my stamped designs but leaving just a smidge of the original paper around the ink to add a bit of dimension.. I hope she has a wonderful 1st birthday and many, many more to come!!! Love you Gracie!

You make everything bloom!!

My mom is my best friend in the whole world.. I don't know what I would do without her in my life...She has always been there for me and I can rely on her for support. I love her very much and wish she lived closer...Last night I was thinking about her and thought I would create a little card to just let her know how much she means to me!! I love patterned paper...I'm the one that literally spends hours looking at every piece at the store and holds up the lines at Michaels because they scan each individual piece of paper..(sorry!!) I have always loved cutting up my paper and using the designs within them on my creations. I did that with this card for my mom.. The flowers, the base strip and the flower stems are all from patterned paper I had. I then heat embossed the centers of my flowers with clear powder just to give it a bit of dimension. I also used dimensionals on my flowers to have them pop out a bit. I used the sentiment "You make everything Bloom" from the PTI set Spirial Bouquet. I also heat embossed this..I love the look it gives..so fresh!! I love you MOM!!

Just Because

I created this little gift for my mom and dad and thought I would share it with you... The other day I was switching around the pictures on my refrigerator and came up with an idea... I own the Mixed Messages stamp set from PTI and within that set Nichole has included several small sentiments. Well, I thought why not make my own magnets...it was so easy to do and I think it would be fun to give as small gifts..who doesn't like cute little magnets for their refrigerators, filing cabinets at work or any place magnets will stick!!! I was so excited because it was the first time using my new cuttlebug...the only cuts I own at the moment are 4 nesting squares so that is what I decided to use as my shape. I first cut out 6 squares with my patterned paper using the largest square diecut. I then went a size smaller and cut out 6 more squares using my solid cardstock. I then stamped each of the solid squares with one of the sentiments from the set. I then pierced small holes around each of the scallops and added brads to each corner. I was so excited about this next step because it worked so well. I was able to run my magnetic paper through my cuttlebug to cut out the magnets for the back of my squares. I used the smaller square magnet and it really looked clean. I repeated the steps but this time used the smaller two squares from my diecuts so I had a smaller magnet. I love the tins that PTI sells and this worked great to store my magnets in. I decorated the tin with the patterned paper and hemp ribbon. I also cut out the larger square and stamped Just Because as the name of my gift and placed it on the top of the tin. I thought it was fitting for this gift for my parents. So simple yet clean and detailed enough to give as gifts...

Tulips...

Even though it is only the middle of February I'm wishing for Spring..the pathetic thing is that it probably won't feel like Spring here in Wisconsin until the middle of April..if we are lucky..YAAA!! I can do it, I can do it!! Anyway, I'm always looking for inspiration for my creations and was going through Nora's clothes the other day and found this adorable tulip dress...I thought I have to make this into a card!! I looked through all my stamp sets from PTI and knew right away that the small leaf stamp from the Out on a Limb set would work great...So, I got to work.. I first traced my stems with pencil and then did some faux stitching.. First time doing it as you can tell..but hey, the only way to get better at something is to practice...(If you have any suggestions on ways to execute faux stiching please share it with me!) I then stamped my tulips onto the stems...I colored the inside of the tulips with my 3-d paint pens.. I really liked how that turned out..it added some dimension to the flowers. I then took the larger 3 leaved stamp from the same set and colored only one leaf to form my small leaves below the flower and on the stems. I finished the design off by stamping the grass from the set My Punny Valentine. I added the sentiment Easter Wishes and finished off with some ribbons and jeweled brads!! Come on Spring!!

Polka Dots...

I am sooo excited..I just checked out Nichole's blog this morning and she is debuting one of her new stamp sets...POLKA DOTS!! My absolute favorite..it is so funny because yesterday I created a card around polka dots..I'm really drawn to them right now!!! This set looks so neat..she has 6 different polka dot backgrounds to choose from!! I will definitely be buying this set on the 15th and about a hundred other things..oh, my husband is not going to be happy... One of my to do's on my wish list is to create a personal crafting space just for me...I have been doing all my crafting at the kitchen table and countertops..I have all my supplies and paper in boxes and on the floor in my bedroom.. so, I will run from one room to the next trying the find the "right paper, embellishment, supply or ribbon". I can't do it like this anymore..I'm forgetting what I have and I truly feel like my creativity is suffering because of it.. So, I will be moving to the basement today!! Once the kids are asleep I'm going to start creating my own little nook in one of the bedrooms down there..I should have done it a long time ago but I do like being close to my babies when they are sleeping. Now that they are a bit older and sleep for longer periods of time I feel more comfortable going down there and working!! Now, if only I had the money to buy all the cool organizing tools out there..I would die to have Nichole's space..it is so organized..I told my husband I will only do a little at a time..before you know it it will be done!! I will definitely post a picture once it is completed!!! Wish me luck... I have included a picture of the polka dot card I created yesterday..the color is a bit different..it is not pink..it is a creamy off white color..(sorry).. I used my scalloped circle punch to create the flowers..I had the raised circular pebble stickers left over from my Christmas card so just placed those on paper and cut around them to form the centers of the flowers..it just adds a bit of dimension. I used the sentiment from the Out on a Limb set by Martin Luther..What a wonderful quote that really does make you appreciate your surroundings!!

Baby news!!

I'm so excited!! My brother-in-law Andy and his wife Shonda are expecting their first baby!! I know they have wanted this for awhile and we are just so happy for them!!! It is so funny because all our family and friends are pregnant now..we were the first out of all our friends to have babies and now that I'm done for a bit all my girlfriends are having babies..There is nothing like being pregnant for the first time..so many firsts and lots of unknowns..that is what makes it so special and scary!!! If they only knew what was ahead of them...I can't even explain it to them so I just sit back and watch...I don't think you really realize what a miracle this little person is until you are holding them in your arms for the first time...oh.. and once you have the baby..no sleep and no sleep and no sleep...but it is soooo worth it...I'm really looking forward to meeting all these new little ones!! I wanted to share with you a baby shower card I did for my cousin Emily..I just love girly stuff and love baby dresses... I came up with the dress template and printed the information onto the vellum paper..I then secured it to the card by the ribbon..I also created a smaller version of the dress to use as a placecard for each person at the shower.. I also had cut out several different patterned dresses and we hung them up throughout the house using ribbon and small clothespins..it really turned out cute.

Something fun to try...

I created this thank you card today that I would like to share with you..it was so fun to create and definitely is a bit unique...

I used the sentiment Thanks so much from the PTI set Out on a Limb..I stamped it in black across the paper and repeated this three more times so I had a total of 4 lines. I then stamped this same sentiment in red on a separate piece of paper exactly as I had stamped the black. This is a bit time consuming because I really had to make sure to follow the black pattern as close as possible. I then took my small square punch and randomly punched out 6 squares from the red pattern making sure to remember where they were in the pattern. I then placed each red square over the same black pattern using dimensionals. It really adds depth to my card and is definitely something a bit unique... I just love the contrasting colors of red and black..it always dresses up a card to the classy level!! Just thought I would share a little technique with you!!

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Supplies: Cardstock: Prism red, white, black

Stamps: Papertrey Ink/Out on a Limb

Embellishments: Velvet ribbon/hobby lobby; brads and jewels/Paper studio

Other: Small scalloped scissors; dimensionals; glue dots

Excitment brewing over at Nichole's blog

WOW..so exciting.. I was gone over the weekend with my husband celebrating my 30th birthday so didn't have time to check Nichole's blog..Of course as soon as we walked into the door last night I kissed and hugged and kissed and hugged Sam and Nora and then ran into the computer and checked out the blog..Wow..lots of neat things happening over there... New stamp designers, new design team members, new and fresh ideas..I'm just ecstatic( and a bit jealous..I wish I could be apart of that wonderful team...) I know, I know I have a ways to go to even be considered a gueststar stamper.. I can't get ahead of myself here and actually this is making me want to work even harder at my creations and to really start stepping up my game here. I know I can do it..it will take time and much practice...What I have to keep reminding myself is that this is a hobby..something I love to do the other things will follow if meant to be!! I was up all night thinking of one of my projects for Nichole..So, I'm anxious to get started..The funny thing is I come up with a core idea and then just can't get that out of my head..and many times the idea is sooo far-fetched it's almost impossible to create but that is how I then come up with my paper creations..I just love it..