Word Art Wednesday #185

          Good morning everyone! I hope everyone had a blessed and safe Memorial Day! The entire weekend my husband was on duty, my daughter was with her grandma, and my son was at Universal Studios for a friend's birthday so I just spent the weekend all by my lonesome :( There was really no relaxing for me because my fur-baby had taken a turn for the worse and I literally was up with her non stop. I got a couple occasional cat naps but that was about it. She is still not well but she has shown some improvement so I am staying positive and not giving up hope. Over the weekend I also was babysitting 16 baby chicks. Those chickies were so cute! It's amazing how fast they've grown in the 6 days I had them. The little soft fur was has already turned into feathers and their yellow coloring is starting to turn to browns and blacks. It was also quite neat to see how the changes in each one are so different too. While spending my time alone this weekend I as well reminisced about my military family and friends. I thought about all they have went through and still do. So many funny stories of time spent with their buddies but unfortunately so many sad ones too, way to many losses. One of those losses includes my cousin whom we lost on August 3, 2005 while he was serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. My heart goes out to all the other families who have lost loved ones to war. I am so appreciative and grateful for all the men and women who serve to protect this country! So that was my weekend. How about we get on to some crafty goodness.
          Today I am sharing another Word Art Wednesday card. This is for challenge #185 featuring scripture 1 Corinthians 2:5. I am in love with the pearlized card-stock I used! The picture doesn't do this card justice, that's for sure. We would love to have you play along with us at Word Art Wednesday, so after you finish my blog post please hop on over to their blog by clicking here: Word Art Wednesday Blog. Remember every Wednesday there is a new challenge you can join :) Thank you so much for stopping by today! Have a beautiful and blessed day!

Card Front

Card Inside - I chose not to stamp a sentiment for now.

Close up of butterfly

Back of card - Showcasing my personalized stamp. I chose to create my own caption and then had it custom made by The Stamps of Life

Supply List:
My Favorite Things - Fancy Butterflies Dienamics
My Favorite Things - Stitched Basic Edges Dienamics
My Favorite Things - Textile Rectangle Frame Dienamics (Retired)
My Creative Time - Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More
My Creative Time - Pretty Butterflies & Dragonfly Dies
Stampin' Up Sizzix - Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder
Stampin' Up - Tempting Turquoise Stamp Pad
Georgia Pacific White Card-stock (purchased at Wal-mart)
Recollections Blue Pearl Card-stock (single sheet purchased at Michael's Crafts)
Recollections Teal Paisley Scrapbook Paper (single sheet purchased at Michael's Crafts)
Recollections Mini Butterfly Punch (purchased at Michael's Crafts)
Tiny rhinestones (purchased from ebay)
The Stamps of Life - Personalized Stamp



(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)

Word Art Wednesday #184

     Thank you for joining me once again for our Word Art Wednesday Challenge! This is challenge #184 featuring Bible scripture Deuteronomy 30:14. Sorry this blog post is going to be a bit brief with regards to my card details. The school year is winding down for my daughter who is home-schooled via an online program and it's that time where we need to get all of her work finalized and submitted, which is a chore all in itself. LOL! Then on top of that one of my little fur-babies has unexpectedly become paralyzed. Usually things like this show early symptoms, happen from an injury, or from old age but she is only 5 and didn't suffer an injury of any kind. We have no idea why she has become paralyzed but after the vet did all her tests, she is confident that this is permanent, so my fur-baby is going to need a wheel chair for the rest of her life. Poor baby already suffers from seizures, but she has been doing fantastic on her medications, and the vet feels that she isn't suffering with any internal pain from the parallelization so with the wheelchair and the seizures currently being under control, it looks like she will still be a very happy baby with a long beautiful life ahead of her. Until I am able to purchase a wheelchair for her, it means a ton of extra work on my family. She has to be carried everywhere and carefully monitored so that she doesn't fall, hit anything, jump, etc. Just because her body isn't functioning doesn't mean her mind quit too so she of course still wants to act like a puppy. Once we get her the wheelchair she can run around chasing her fur-siblings and lizards again, lol! Should I have some free time this week though I will try to comeback in and give more details on my card. Otherwise if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask :)
     Now for my card today I chose to make an A2 size using My Creative Time Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies and More along with The Stamps of Life Birdcage2stamp Set and the matching Birdcage Club Die Set. For my flowers I used a Recollections tiny punch that I picked up at Michael's Crafts this week for only $1.00! Doesn't it give just the cutest little flowers! I adorned them with tiny rhinestones and added some clear Wink of Stella just to give my bird cage a little sparkle too. I didn't want it to feel left out ;) Plus I added a couple of tiny butterflies I punched from silver glitter paper using my other new Recollections mini punch. Again it was only $1. For the scripture I used the largest size die from the My Creative Time Stitched Decorative Banner Dies to cut out the banner. All of the card-stock I used is from Recollections, which I purchased at Michael's Crafts this past week as well because they were having an A-MAZING sale on all of the Recollections card-stock. It was 5 packages for $10. Each package contains 50 sheets of fantastic quality card-stock, which if you do the math comes to 250 sheets of card-stock for just $10! That's an amazing deal! What I also love about the Recollections card-stock is that they offer card-stock to match every one of my Stampin' Up ink pads as well as the My Favorite Things ink pads that I currently own. Also when I cut the Recollections card-stock I don't get a white center. The card-stock is colored all the way through. I have even sanded this card-stock before. So if you haven't tried out this card-stock yet, I highly recommend you give it a shot. You can't beat the price and quality!
      Well folks, that is all I have for now. Don't forget to go check out Word Art Wednesday's Blog. There are tons of beautiful creations, an inspirational devotion, and some good ol' fun. We would love to have you join us! Have a beautiful, blessed, and wonderful week! Until next time, tootles :)

PS: A quick tip to get your string, twine or floss in the shape you'd like is to simply take a very tiny amount of Multi Matte Medium onto your fingers and then rub it all over the string/floss/twine. Remember you only need a little bit and don't worry it dries perfectly clear. Once it's all covered then you will simply shape the bow how you would like and once the Multi Matte Medium dries you have a perfect bow :) Oh and I forgot to mention that the bird cage as well as the little bird were actually die cut 3 times, glued together with the Multi Matte Medium, in order to give it some even dimension without needing to use foam tape/pop dots/etc.



(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)

Word Art Wednesday #183

      Hello everyone! Today I am so blessed to announce that I am now part of the Word Art Wednesday Design Team! It was such an honor to have been asked and now an even greater honor to actually be part of such an amazing team! Making this even more special to me is that my very first Design Team post is occurring on what would have been my Dad's birthday (he passed away 13 years ago). I think he had a hand in making this happen for me ;) So starting now, every week on Wednesday, I will be showcasing my Word Art Wednesday Design Team creations. Super exciting right! It is for me anyway, lol! To learn more about Word Art Wednesday or if you would like to participate in the weekly challenges, you can get to their blog by clicking on the following link: Word Art Wednesday. Each week there is new challenge feature along with fantastic prizes provided by fabulous sponsors! We would LOVE to have you join us! There is so much talent and inspiration, you won't want to miss it! I am so thankful that you all for stopped by my blog today! I wish each and every one of you an amazing and abundantly blessed week! Now cue in the drum roll please..... Here it is, my first Word Art Wednesday DT creation! Woo Hoo!

Front: The front of the card is featuring scripture Psalm 149:4 I absolutely love the font used for this scripture. Since the scripture font was so elegant, I wanted a card to match so I chose soft colors and flowers to capture the elegance. For the base card-stock I used is the Blue Breeze Prestige Card-stock from My Favorite Things. I also used plain white card-stock that I purchased from Walmart. I cut out the shape of my card with the My Favorite Things Square Scalloped Dies (I believe these dies have been retired). I stamped the base of the card with Versa Mark using the My Creative Time Build A Scripty & Watercolor Background Stamp Set. The inks I am using are the My Favorite Things Blue Breeze Hybrid Ink, Stampin' Up Marina Mist Ink Pad, and Stampin' Up Midnight Muse Ink Pad (which Midnight Muse has now been retired). The flower stamp set I used is from Stampin' Up as well but this was a promotional stamp and is not currently available but fingers crossed they will bring this set back for purchase because it is a beautiful set. This stamp set is a 3 layering stamp set, meaning you have 3 different stamps to use to achieve the final look but they are so easy to use, especially using the MISTI which I was so excited to use for the first time when making this card. I will be doing a review on the MISTI soon, so stay tuned. Oh, the ribbon was purchased from Michael's Crafts unfortunately it doesn't list a brand or color on the packaging.

Inside: The inside of the card was made using the same My Favorite Things Square Scalloped Dies and the sentiment came from the same Stampin' Up stamp set as the flowers. I used the My Favorite Things Blue Breeze Hybrid Ink to sponge the edges of the white card-stock. The clear holder that is displaying my card was purchased at Micheal's Crafts.

(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)

You'll Land

       Hey, Hey, Hey ;) I am back to share another card. This one is called "You'll Land" because even during those tough times I firmly believe despite all the flipping and head spinning things that happen during those tough times we at some point land on our feet, pull ourselves together, and stay grounded for as long as we possibly can before the next toss up happens. I personally have had a very difficult life so I have a soft spot when someone else is dealing with some rough stuff. Someone I know hit one of those rough patches recently which prompted me to make this card using The Stamps of Life cat2stamp set and matching Cat Club Die Set. This set is so cute! Let me present my card and I will walk you through all the details.

This is an A2 size card which when folded is 4.25" by 5.50". To make the main base of the card you I grabbed some plain white cardstock that I get from Walmart. I cut the cardstock to be 5.50" by 8.50" and then scored it at 4.25". I folded it at the score line and viola I had my card base :) This picture is the front of the card. To get those adorable cat images I took some left over scrap patterned paper and used Tsukineko Tuxedo Black Ink to stamp the cat image from the The Stamps of Life cat2stamp set. I cut them out using the matching Cat Club Die Set. I made that adorable paw print background by using the Creative Time For Me Stitched Rectangle Frame Dies & More set and The Stamps of Life cat2stamp set. I used the largest stitched rectangle die to cut out the the piece needed then using the clear paw stamp from the cat2stamp set I stamped the paw with Versa Mark in various location on the /cardstock. The sentiment is from the same set and was stamped with the Tsukineko Tuxedo Black Ink. I didn't have any black card stock on hand so I used my Spectrum Noir black marker to color a white piece of card stock big enough to cut out the size I was going for. I am not sure what the size ended up being after I cut it down but as you can see it was just enough to show a little bit of that white based cardstock. I am going to estimate that there is about 1/8" difference between it. To attach those cute kitties and layers altogether I used a tape runner adhesive.

For the inside of my card I cut a star patterned piece of paper to the dimensions of 4 1/8" by 5 3/8". I then die cut a plain white piece of cardstock using the largest rectangle stitched die from the Creative Time For Me Stitched Rectangle Frame Dies & More set. I "tipped" the sides with my black Spectrum Noir marker so that the white would have a little bit of separation and standout against the star background. With the Tsukineko Tuxedo Black Ink I stamped the kitty to the right side of the cardstock. The black paw print was cut using The Stamps of Life Cat Club Die Set. I didn't have even a small piece of black cardstock for that so I did the same method as the front of the card and just colored a small piece of cardstock with a black marker. My final step was to adhere the die cut paw print and layers to the base of the cardstock with a tape runner adhesive. I chose not to put a sentiment on the inside because I wanted to write my own personal words of encouragement for my friend. I stamped the very back of the card with my personalized stamp, then Ta-da the card was complete :)

       Thank you all so much for stopping by my blog today! If you like what you see, I would love it if you would subscribe and follow my blog. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube (videos coming soon). All links can be found on the right hand side of my home page. Have a fantastic, blessed, and beautiful day!



(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)

Birthday Balloon

       Good day everyone! Today I thought I would share with you a balloon card that I made for my son's birthday as well as give you some updates. In one of my previous posts I mentioned that I was not happy with all the things I have tried or made to help me capture excellent quality photos of my crafts. I also mentioned that I had come across a product called the Foldio which I have heard wonderful things about it, so when I found out the makers of the Foldio were coming out with a Foldio 2 that would be bigger and brighter I was thrilled, but I would have to get it from a Kickstarter Campaign. When I signed up for their Kickstarter Campaign it was looking like I might get the Foldio 2 earlier than expected but as it turns out they ended up having some production issues as well as some component issues which held up the making of the Foldio 2. Now the makers are saying I won't receive the Foldio 2 until at least June possibly later which means that for now the photos of my creations will not be as good as I would like :( As much as that stinks I couldn't be bummed for too long because I ordered myself and awesome birthday gift... I ordered the MISTI! Woo Hoo! I should be arriving soon so I am so super excited! In case you don't know what the MISTI is, it is a stamping tool that helps to give a more precise stamped image. There are many other great techniques that can be done with is as well. Once my MISTI arrives I will be back with my thoughts and reviews as well as show you some of the wonderful things your can do with this amazing product.
       Now onto my balloon card :) The balloon die set I used to make this card is from Simon Says. It is called Simon Says Stamp Balloon Craft Dies and I absolutely love this set! Out of this set I used the largest die which is 4.25" by 5.5" so it's the perfect size to make a card. I cut 2 balloons from Midnight Muse Stampin' Up Cardstock (I believe this color cardstock has since been retired). On one piece of the cardstock I horizontally scored the top of the balloon at about the 1/4" mark. I then attached some Sookwang adhesive to the 1/4" area and attached it to the other balloon piece, making the base of the card.      
       I wanted to add a pattern to the balloon so on the front of the card I made a plaid pattern using the My Favorite Things DC Plaid Background Builder clear stamp set. Most plaid patterns have multiple colors but for this I chose just to use the Stampin' Up Whisper White Craft Ink Pad. I personally really like this white as it provides a good coverage and is the only white that hasn't dried out on me. I actually have owned it for over a year and have yet to re-ink it.
       I then wanted a sentiment that popped on the front so I used the Simon Says Stamp Happy Birthday Craft Die and cut the sentiment 4 times out of plain white cardstock. I glued and layered them together using the Ranger Matte Medium Adhesive then glued it to the front center of the balloon, which gave it the perfect lift without the use of foam tape. If you didn't want to die cut the sentiment multiple times then you could cut the sentiment once from the cardstock and cut the sentiment again from a thin piece of craft foam then adhere the craft foam to the bottom of the cardstock sentiment. 
       For the inside of the card, using plain white cardstock, I cut out a slightly smaller balloon using the second largest balloon die from the Simon Says Stamp Balloon Craft Dies.This balloon die measures 3.5" by 4.65". I "tipped" the edges of the white balloon with the Stampin' Up Midnight Muse Ink Pad (I believe this color ink is now retired). Using the same color ink I stamped 2 sentiments. The Happy Birthday sentiment came from the Simon Says Clear Stamp Birthday Balloons Set and the other sentiment came from the Simon Says Clear Stamp Birthday Messages Set. I didn't center it because I was going to stamp some confetti patterns to the right but my son came barging through the door right in the middle of my making the card so that abruptly ended my cardmaking, lol. I didn't even get to adhere the pretty balloon string I had picked out :( I guess it didn't really matter because all he really wanted was the money being put inside the card, lol!
       Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today! I wish you all a wonderful and blessed week! Without further a-do here is how the card turned out :)

 

Card Front

Card Inside

(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)

Bubblicious'

           It's Wacky Wednesday or so some say, lol! Around my house everyday is wacky ;) Today I wanted to share another super easy and quick card but before I do that I wanted to let all those who have Stampin' Up ink pads know that some more colors are being retired. The colors that I was told are retiring are the 2013/2015 In Colors: Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, and Strawberry Slush. Also something I didn't know was that the In Colors only stay around for 2 years. I guess I should have realized that's what the 2013/2015 meant, lol. So for anyone who is considering buying new inks, you might want to keep that in mind when deciding what brand and colors you purchase, especially if there are certain colors you love. If you purchase inks be sure to keep tabs on the colors, that way if there are colors that you want to keep around for a bit longer even after they have retired, then you can make sure to get the re-inkers before they are all gone. If you have any Stampin' Up questions, and don't currently have a representative, just let me know, as I have an amazing representative that I would be glad to have get in touch with you. Now onto my card :)

Front: The base of the card was made using plain white card stock. For the front of the card I used the bubblegum4me and moregum4me stamp sets from The Stamps of Life. I also used the largest die from the My Favorite Things Die-namics Horizontal Stitched Strips die set. Using the largest die I cut 3 different patterned papers. These dies are perfect to help use up some scrap pieces of paper or card stock that you have lying around. To achieve the banner I used the edge of a bowl to make the curves and then just cut the points on the end with a paid of scissors. The ink I used was the Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescence Orchid.

Inside: I used the My Creative Time Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More set to cut my 2 rectangle pieces. I then stamped the My Creative Time Grainy Wood Background Stamp with the Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescence Orchid ink to make my main background image. I took the same orchid ink I used on the front of the card and tipped the edges of the smaller rectangle. Using the orchid ink again I stamped the sentiment and image from the The Stamps of Life bubblegum4me and moregum4me stamp sets. Don't forget if you like the watermarked image you can get that from Michele R Designs. She also has some beautiful digi papers you can purchase too!

                                            Thank you so much for stopping by today! Have a beautiful and blessed day!



(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)

Easy Peasy Card Creation!

     Hello all my Crafty Peeps! Today I just wanted to share 2 super quick cards with you. It literally took me less than 20 minutes to make both cards, which to be honest it could have been even quicker if I would have used a hot glue gun for the flowers rather than a clear liquid glue, but I didn't want to wait for the gun to heat up. How ironic that my impatience actually made something take longer, lol!
     You will also notice I got some new watermarks for my pictures. Woo Hoo! I am in love with them! They are so pretty and elegant. I purchased them from a very sweet lady named Michele from Michele R Designs. Not only does she sell custom watermarks but she also sells beautiful digital papers and recently has also started to make paper pads :)
      Now that I have some gorgeous watermarks, I just need to work on the watermark placement. If you have any suggestions on watermark placements I would love to hear them. I have always been told that you want to place them over your design so that they can't be erased or cropped out, but I find placing them over the design takes away from your design and image view. So that is something I will need to tool around with but overall my new custom watermark gives a whole new look that I am in love with!
      Thank you for stopping by my blog today! I wish everyone a wonderful, blessed, and warm weekend! I may be in Florida but it has been in the low 20's here and with the wind chill it's felt like the low teens, so this Florida gal is freezing her buns off, lol!

Outside:  For the base of the card I used the The Stamps of Life Circle Flip Its 2 die set and cut purple Recollections cardstock which came in a multi pack of colors, as well as some matching patterned paper that I had in my scrap paper stash. To cut the flower I used some frosted white vellum and cut it with the My Favorite Things Hybrid Camellia Flower Die-namics. For the bottom and middle layers of the flower I cut them out twice. The center I only cut once. To curl the edges of the flowers you can use your fingers, a rounded spoon handle, a smooth rounded pencil etc. but for me I like to use the Cricut Scoring Stylus Tool because I feel it gives the perfect curve and the paper glides nicely making for a smooth look. Now here is where the impatient part of me kicked in, because to hold the flower together, I used a clear liquid glue which is supposed to be for paper piecing and quilling since it dries completely clear with no gloss. However, because it's meant to give you time to move your paper that means it will take some time to set up. This is where I should have been presented with a "Here's your sign" by Bill Engvall, lol. So, if your wanting a fast set up then maybe you should use a hot glue gun.

Inside: The inside is basically just the center grouping of circles which I cut out using some of the other dies that came in The Stamps of Life Circle Flip Its 2 die set. I simply picked out the sizes and designs I liked, cut them, and layered them together. I used a very think foam pop dot and placed it behind the solid purple circle. I wanted a little lift but not to much because I felt the flower on the outside gave enough dimension. For thank you sentiment I used a Colorbox purple dye ink along with an amazing and generous stamp set that Stephanie Barnard gave to me for being her Stamps of Life Club Member. Just remember to stamp the sentiment before putting together all of your layers because it's no fun trying to stamp on top of foam dots, lol.

Here is a closer view of the flower.

Outside: This card was basically done in the exact same way as the card above other than I changed the papers and colors. The cardstock again was from Recollections and the patterned paper was from my scrap stash.

Inside: Again I used the same die set but I only used one of the scalloped circles and I used a sentiment from The Stamps of Life crazy4daisies stamp set. The sentiment was stamped with a StudioG dye ink stamp pad color. 

(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)

Sharing Some More Goodness

     Here are the other projects that I made. These are all Thank You's that I made for specific individuals and now that they have been photographed I will be popping them into the mail :) I will admit though that at first I struggled whether or not to post them before I mailed them because you never know who and when someone will read my blog, but I suppose it will still be a surprise to them because I'm not spilling the beans as to who is getting them, lol!
     I also wanted to let you know that I now have added links for my Facebook page, YouTube,Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest so I would love it if you would go check them out and while your there give them a like, follow, share, subscribe, etc. These links can be found on the right side of the home page on my blog. Please be patient with me as I am just getting started on them as far as trying to intertwine the crafty part of my life/blog with them.
     Something I forgot to mention in my last blog post is that I have not been thrilled with my watermark program, so I have been checking around and I have written to someone to see if they can make a couple for me as well as help me figure out the best way to apply them to the pictures. I want to protect my pictures and creations but at the same time I don't want to make them look gaudy, if you know what I mean. Until then please excuse the current watermarks on my pictures. If things work out with getting a new watermark I will share that information with you so you can check into getting personalized watermarks for your pictures ;) Many blessings for a wonderful week!

For this card I used the following products from My Creative Time Trio Stitched Banner Dies, Grainy Wood Background Stamp, Celebrate Good Times, and Speech Bubble Sentiments Stamp Set. The card stock is from Recollections, the inks are Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescence inks, miscellaneous touches were done with Smooch Pearlized Accent Inks, the multicolored background was done with my daughter's water color paints, I used Versa Mark with some sparkling embossing powder for the sprinkles on the ice cream scoops, and I also added a few rhinestones.

I used the following products from My Creative Time Trio Stitched Banner Dies, Grainy Wood Background Stamp, Celebrate Good Times, Happy Thoughts Stamp Set, and Alpha Pack Stamp Set. The card stock is from Recollections, the white ink is from Stampin' Up and colored inks are Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescence inks, miscellaneous touches were done with Smooch Pearlized Accent Inks, the multicolored icing on the cupcake was done with my daughter's water color paints.

A little something new I have been doing to all my cards is decorating the back to match the rest of the card, why should the back be neglected, right ;) So being that I was super blessed to have won a Personalized Stamp from Stephanie Barnard - The Stamps of Life, it really became the main focus on the back of my card. I get so many compliments on it too! The great thing about the personalized stamps from The Stamps of Life is that your able to create your own sentiment just as I have done. There are others that have borders and images you can add to them also. If you decide to get a funny personalized stamp, it's a good idea to also get a more serious one for times when you are making a sympathy card etc.

For this card I used the following products from My Creative Time Lost At Sea Stamp Set, Stitched Daisy Die, and Stitched Hexy Dies. From Paper Smooches I used Chilly Chums and Chilly Chums Icons Dies. To stamp him I used Stampin' Up ink pad and then to color him in I used Copic and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. The card stock is from Recollections.

For this card I used the following products from My Creative Time Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More, Family Is Everything Stamp Set, and Happy Thoughts Stamp Set. From Paper Smooches I used Chilly Chums and Chilly Chums Icons Dies. To stamp him I used Stampin' Up ink pad and then to color him in I used Copic and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. For the paint splatters and other areas I used Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescence inks as well as Stampin' Up inks. The card stock is from Recollections.

On this card I used Peachy Keen Stamps to stamp the bunny, the striped background, and the sentiment. As I mentioned in my last blog post, Peachy Keen Stamps recently announced they were ceasing the manufacturing of their stamps :(To stamp the black outline I used Momento Tuxedo Black ink then I colored the bunny with Copics and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. For the white lined stamping I used Stampin' Up ink and for the sentiment I used Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescence ink. The flowers and ribbon were purchased from Michael's Crafts, The elegant swirls are from Sizzix/Stepahnie Barnard Swirl Framelits 5pk Die & Stamp Set. The tiny little bow and banner were made by hand. The white cardstock I used it from Walmart and the pink base is actually some pink printer paper that I purchased from Walmart too.

This is the inside of the card but it could have been used as the front decoration too. The mint and pink papers are colored copy paper that I stamped with a polka dotted background stamp from Peachy Keen Stamps. I used white ink from Stampin' Up. The mouse is from Peachy Keen Stamps as well and I used Momento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp his outline then colored him in using Copic and Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. The banner I handmade, stamped with Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescence ink, and the enamel dots are actually mini pony beads that I melted to make my own enamel dots.

The different colored dotted base of this card is a pre-made card from Stampin' Up. I cut a piece of Stampin' Up cardstock with the My Creative Time Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More and then ran it through a dotted embossing folder. For the thanks sentiment I used the Happy Thoughts Stamp Set from My Creative Time. I really wanted the thanks sentiment to stand out so I adhered Scrapbook Adhesive sheets to the Recollections cardstock and then cut the sentiment a total of 4 times. Using the adhesive sheets to stack the 4 layers together made it so much easier than trying to use glue.

For the inside of the card I wanted to tie in the dotted effect so I again used the Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More from My Creative Time, cardstock from Stampin' Up, and the same dotted embossing folder but I put it on the upper part of the card instead of the bottom. For the inside bottom I used Stampin' Up inks along with the My Creative Time Family Is Everything Stamp Set to create the background. For the center I used You Are Fabulous, Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More from My Creative Time and moregum4me from The Stamps Of Life.

Here I decorated the back of the card again using my Personalized Stamp from The Stamps of Life and the Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More from My Creative Time.

I wish you could see this card in person. I used Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescence inks for all my stamping on this card and which gives it the most beautiful effect when the light hits it. From The Stamps of Life I used strawberries2stamp and thanks4oneyear. For the background I used a stamp from Peachy Keen Stamps. The cardstock is from Recollections with the exception of the white cardstock, that came from Walmart.

For the inside I used Tsukineko Brilliance Pearlescence inks for all the stamping. From The Stamps of Life I used strawberries2stamp and thanks4oneyear. The stripes came from a Peachy Keen stamp set. The cardstock is from Recollections with the exception of the white cardstock, that came from Walmart.

Back of the card using my Personalized Stamp and strawberries2stamp from The Stamps of Life

For the front of this card I used Sweet as Candy-Sweet Images from Whimsy Stamps and Happy Thoughts Stamp Set from My Creative Time. On the candy jar I used vellum instead of acetate because I wanted to give the effect of frosted glass. The ink is from Studio G and the cardstock is from Recollections.

For the all the little candies I used the Sweet as Candy-Sweet Images from Whimsy Stamps along with Versa Mark. Once it dried it left that darker color making it appear as though I had used a color ink. I LOVE all the amazing techniques you can do with Versa Mark! I did used Studio G ink for the "being so sweet" sentiment. The cardstock is from Recollections. I as well used the Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More and Chocolate Greetings Stamp Set from My Creative Time.

Backside of card is featuring my fabulous Personalized Stamp and strawberries2stamp from The Stamps of Life plus the Chocolate Greetings Stamp Set and Happy Thoughts Stamp Set from My Creative Time. The ink is from Studio G.

(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)

Here's To A New Year :)

      Happy New Year everyone, even if it is the beginning of February, lol! It's a new year which means a beautiful new beginning! I told you all that starting in 2015 I wanted to start becoming more involved with blogging on a regular basis so these past couple months I have been really working on things behind the scenes to get prepared for all the amazing adventures that are to come. I have been working on how to make videos, tutorials, new techniques, my photography skills, and so much more. I have been crafting like crazy! Some of the things I've made were a memorial scrapbook for a relative, tons of Christmas cards, thank you cards birthday cards, and coloring a ton of images for the scrapbooks I am going to make my daughter. I also have been working on my dad's case. It is going on a year that I have been working on it. I think because it is so special my mind keeps swaying with how I want to decorate it, I just want it to be perfect. I initially was going to put all of the barber equipment back into it but the more I work on the case the more I would love to display it. I am hoping that someday my hubby will close in our back porch so I that I have a craft room and I think I would get so much inspiration from this case if I was able to see it everyday. After all my dad was an artist himself so who better than him to get inspiration from.
     So as you can see these past couple months have really been put to good use. I am really wanting to take my blogging from something I was doing just for fun here and there to making it something wonderful for you and for me! I want my blog to be a positive, fun, and encouraging place where anyone from a beginner to a long time crafter can come to not only get ideas but share ideas too. If your wondering why I decided to make this change of blogging more, let's just say I had an eye opening experience ;) Which brings me to a very big THANK YOU that I want to say to a very special person who came into my life from guess what... a blog. Her name is Karen and lets just say that she helped me to see why the combination of blogging and crafting can be life changing. She will know what I mean and I hope that by my blogging and sharing my creations with you more regularly it will open up doors for you to be creative. Don't let someone make you feel that your crafting is not good enough, because art is about exploration, being creative and having fun in what ever way you see it. My creations might not be what someone else likes but to me they are amazing because I am growing, I am getting to make memories with my daughter, I am having the time of my life, and I am just being me. How I feel when I craft is how I hope each and everyone of you will feel.
     Before I wrap up my blog post for today I would like to share with you a couple of the projects I made. I ended up not being that impressed with the "homemade" photo booths, you will see a lighting difference in some of the pictures, which is the variations of the "homemade" photo booths and lighting techniques I tried. So because I wasn't completely happy I found out that the company who makes the Foldio is coming out with a bigger and brighter Foldio. They were running a Kickstarter program which I took part in. Since they met their goal it appears that I will be getting a Foldio 2 sometime in March but heard it could even be sooner. I'm praying for the sooner, lol. If they are as good as I have heard then my pictures should look A-MAZING, fingers crossed on that one too ;) As always if you have any questions about my projects just ask :) I will be back sometime this week to show you even more of the projects I made during my "break". Have a beautiful day!

Scrapbook I made in memory of my mother in law. I made it as a Christmas gift for her sister.

This was a Christmas card I made for my son. I used Boughs of Holly Stamp, Oh Deer Stamp Set and the Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More. The deer came from Peachy Keen Stamps. Peachy Keen Stamps recently decided to retire from making stamp sets :( The coloring was done with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. I also used Stampin' Up ink and card stock, with the exception of the gold berries that came from some metallic gold scrap card stock.

This is the inside of the card which I used holly4Christmas stamp set from The Stamps of Life as well as Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More from My Creative Time. Inks are from Stampin' Up and I also used Spectrum Noir alcohol markers to color in the ornament.

Christmas card I made for my husband using Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More from My Creative Time as well as Peachy Keen Stamps. Coloring was done with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. I also used Stampin' Up ink and card stock.

This was the Christmas card I made and sent out to all my family and friends. The Card stock and ink were from Stampin' Up. For the Poinsettia and sentiment I used a stamp set from My Favorite Things which I believe has been discontinued. Then I also used the Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More from My Creative Time.

Inside of the card. I used holly4Christmas stamp set from The Stamps of Life. The Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More and You Are Fabulous from My Creative Time. The Card stock and ink were from Stampin' Up.

Christmas card I made for my mom and step dad. I used Boughs of Holly Stamp, Loyal Friends Stamp Set, Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More, Winter Snowman Dies and the Alpha Pack Stamp Set to make my own wording. Cardstock and inks came from Stampin' Up with the exception of the dog, I used metallic gold scrap cardstock. (PS-When My Creative Time did the sneaks for the Winter Snowman Dies I instantly thought of this idea, however I apparently was not the only one. I have seen several people used a similar ideas using the dog and snowman dies but I assure you in no way did I copy from anyone. I always will give credit to a person or company should I get an idea from them)

Inside of card I used Stitched Rectangular Frame Dies & More, Boughs of Holly Stamp and You Are Fabulous from My Creative Time. Cardstock and inks are from Stampin' Up.

(Disclaimer: Any supply links listed above are links solely being used as a guide to show you what those items are. Some links may come directly from the manufacturer while others may not. Unless otherwise stated all products were purchased with my own money and in no way am I affiliated with these links nor the businesses associated with them. Please use discretion should you choose to shop from the links listed above. Thank you)

Happy Sunday :)

     Howdy everyone! I just wanted to give you all a quick little update and an apology for not posting in a while. My family and I have had quite an adventurous couple months. Due to my health issues I am limited on my wifely duties, which a lot of people say I am lucky because I get out of doing the laundry, dishes, and cleaning. So that means my husband is way more than just the bread winner of the household... he is in every way the man of the house. He is the most amazing man and husband a woman could ever ask for. He cooks, cleans, does laundry, does all the major physical activities with our kids like go to the gym, and he still manages to do the "manly" things of the house like trash, lawn care, fixing broken things etc. Like I said, he is AMAZING and because of so many more reasons beyond that, he is my hero!
     So just imagine how much our world came to a complete stop when he had a freak accident. If I told you the story of what happened it would gross you out but it would make you laugh at the same time. Only my crazy family can take a tragedy and turn it into a comedic event. I will save you the horrific details and just say that because of the accident I have had to step up big time. I have had to really push myself to do things that my body and health otherwise tell me I can't do. To say it has been an extreme challenge not only for me but for my family is an understatement.
     My husband has a long road of recovery yet to go but things so far are going good. To him this accident is a walk in the park compared to when he had cancer in his 20's. To be honest even though this was a terrible accident it could have been much worse, so we truly feel God was watching over him that day and is still is because everything has gone right despite all that could have gone wrong.
     So to sum all this up in a nut shell, because I have had to be more physically active it has caused me to also be in a lot more pain which is why I haven't been able to be my crafty-self lately. Now that things are beginning to calm down a bit and my husband is starting to do a little more on his own it won't be long before I am back to my crafty-time. I have a ton of "Thank You" cards I need to make so I will be sharing those with you once I get them made, plus I will be working on my Thanksgiving and Christmas cards too. Something else I am wanting to do is to blog on a more regular basis so after the holidays my 2015 goal is to blog regularly and I would really love your opinion on which you would prefer... Would you prefer me to blog a couple times a month showcasing several projects at once or would you prefer me to blog once a week showcasing 1 project (occasionally 2) every week? Would you prefer I mix up the blog posts by one time showcasing a project, the next a technique, and then other show products? Let me know what you think either by leaving a comment or sending me a message. I really would love to make it onto the Design Team of my favorite crafting products so I greatly appreciate all your support and feedback because you help me to continually grow :) I wish you all a wonderful week and I will 'blog at ya' soon ;)