my challenge. . .

I needed a little self-motivation, and focus when I was sitting down to create this card. So here's what I challenged myself with:
one color of cardstock
two colors of ink
one type of embellishment

And this is what I created! I used the stamp set, Priceless Love, Holiday Red and Black ink, and red Sparkles. I cut out the X's and O's, and adhered them with foam tape, and used the border stamps to create a fun little design. I really like this stamp set, and although it makes terrific Valentine's, you can use it for so much more too!!

Hopefully by now, you are done with your Christmas cards, and ready for the big day on Saturday!!! And if you are. . . .kudos to you - now get started on your Valentines!!! ;) (tee hee!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
XOXO

yummy cupcakes!

Hey there cupcake! This card was created with the stamp set, Cupcake Sprinkles, paired with Twitterpated paper I also used the sweet little frame stamp (one of my new favorites!) from the set, Priceless Love. I added some Chocolate ribbon, plus a piece of string and a button that I found in my stash!

Are you ready for Christmas!? We have just about all our shopping done for the boys, but now I need to get WRAPPING!!!!!! I am off to school today, to help the Kindergartners make gingerbread houses! It will be a flurry of sugar and candy - and CHAOS!!!!

Have a TERRIFIC day!!!

Wings Level 1 Kit - Make a bunch of cards!

One of our new products for January is the new Wings set. It is available as a Workshop on the Go kit, Level 1 Scrapbooking kit (with pre-printed pages, paper, cardstock, and My Stickease), a paper pack (with patterned papers and matching cardstock), and My Stickease.

For the cards pictured below I used the Level 1 kit, Dreams Come True stamp set, and some various embellishments.

By using the pre-printed pages as the card base for most of your cards, you can really create a bunch of cards. I still have lots of supplies from the Level 1 kit even after making 12 cards!

You can order any of the Wings products and the stamp set beginning January 1. Make sure you check out the January special featuring the Wings WOTG kit!

Wings Level 1 Kit - Cards!

More Cards Using Wings Level 1 Kit

many many many thanks!

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!! (Can someone tell me where 2010 went to????) :)

I love to combine two different stamp sets to create some new unexpected cards! I used the August Word Puzzle set, along with the sentiment from Many Thanks.

To create the globe, I stamped the image in black onto a white cardstock block. Then I stamped it in Pear ink, on Sky cardstock, cut out just the globe and adhered it to the image. I sanded all the edges of my layers, and added a few little jewels at the end, for some added pizazz. Lots of layers doesn't mean it has to be a busy cluttered card. It's still pretty clean and simple, thanks to the double layer of white.

We are off to SeaWorld for the weekend, along with my parents, to celebrate Mr. B's 6th birthday! I'll share some pictures next week! Have a great weekend!

Wishes Card Confidence Program - Top Band

These three cards were created using the Wishes Top Band format. Using one card design but different papers and stamps can really make creating Faster, Simpler, Easier!

.

If you need the handout for this design, just email me!

Blessings

I came home from my parents' house with a few new stamp sets to play with!!! Hoooray! (Thanks Mom!) This is a quick and simple card (cause that's what I like best, of course!) using Sunflower, and Sunset cardstock and ink (and the Flourished Blessings stamp set!) To create the colors on the leaf, I used one of my favorite techniques. First I inked the leaf in Sunset ink, (on Sunflower cardstock) and then I rolled the edges in a darker color, before stamping it. I'm thinking I should have written down what I did, because to be honest, I am NOT exactly sure WHICH two colors I used. The good news is, that LOTS of color combos work beautifully with this technique. As I was playing, I tried out Sunset, Smoothie, Honey, and even Vineyard Berry. There are colors in each season's color palette that really lend themselves to this technique on the fall leaves. Just remember to start with the LIGHTEST color, so you don't ruin your ink pad!!!!

a seriously BRIGHT christmas!

Why is it that I really generally despise making Christmas cards? I hate it! Unless. . . .I am using some sort of funky color combination. Pink and green tends to be my go-to Christmas card color scheme. (Actually, pink and green tends to be one of my go-to color combos all year long!)

I used Pear and Cotton Candy to create this card, along with the Evergreen stamp set. To create my snow drifts, I simply tore a few layers of cardstock, and tucked my trees between them. Then I punched some circles from white cardstock, adhered them, and covered them in Liquid Glass to create my sparkly, shiny snow.

As you read this, I am at my parents' house, probably rifling through all my mom's scrappy stuff, seeing what I can steal and take home with me!! ;) And I'm taking a stack of cardstock to punch circles with. I only have two little circle punches of my own (and no room to store more than that, anyway!) So I always fill up a Ziplock bag of assorted punched circles when I go home!!! (Especially the scalloped ones!!!!) So thankful for my mommy and all her toys!!!!

Have a great weekend!
XOXO

I'll love you forever

Hello hello! Happy November! And yes, it seems to be whizzing by just as quickly as October did. Which is why I made the executive decision in my household, to LET GO of my rule - "No Christmas music till Thanksgiving," because at the rate we are going, Christmas is going to come and go, just in the time it takes me to turn on the music!

Today's card features paper from Splendor. This is such a pretty color palette - its great for spring and summer, but the colors lend themselves to fall too! (And the paper in that pack, with the clouds all over it, is one of my ALL-TIME favorite papers!)

I paper-pieced my little owls, from the Love You Forever stamp set. This is such a sweet little stamp set - lots of fun to paper-piece, but almost as fun to color too!

After I finished this, I felt like it needed a little something extra, so I pierced the edges with my paper piercer. (Another of my go-to techniques, as you probably already know!)

And now, I am off to enjoy a hot beverage, the cool weather, and some CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!! Bring it on!

See you Thursday! (Where I'll be coming to you live from my parents' house! HOORAY!)
XOXO

Boo!

Boo to YOU! It's Halloween week! The boys in this household are getting geared up for Trunk-or-Treat at our church, trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, and a fall party at school!

Halloween also just so happens to be Susan's birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MAMA!

Today I have a card featuring Boo Crew! I pieced together some scraps to make the patterned paper background on this card, matted it on black cardstock, and then added my stamped images.

Whether you are trick-or-treating, handing out candy, eating birthday cake, or none of the above, I hope you have a great weekend! Is it REALLY almost NOVEMBER?!

peace on earth

Clean. Simple. Just about as clean and simple as you can get. White and Sky cardstock. First I stamped the dove from Christmas Melodies. I used a smaller circle punch than the stamp, and punched out only the dove, without the text around it. I used a slightly larger circle punch and matted it on Sky blue. Then I stamped my sentiment from Say It In Style. . .I'm telling you, if you only have ONE sentiment set, that is the set to have! It has EVERYTHING you need (and then some!) I am ALWAYS turning to that set for sentiments!
So, that's about it. Pretty easy peasy. Stamp, punch, cut, trim, adhere. And then add some pearls.
And you're done! I hope you like this card! I was really happy with how it turned out. I find I like my cards more, the more simple they get! It's hard to let go, and leave things more simple. Almost harder than piling on the goodies, and stamping like crazy. But it feels GOOD. Like a freshly cleaned room. :) (And I LOVE a freshly cleaned room just as much as I LOVE a clean and simple card!)
Have a great weekend!

cards in mass production!

I have been working on cards to give as gifts for the holidays. . .as well as trying to use up some of my paper stash! I am HORRIBLE about hoarding paper that I really love. I never use some of it, just because I don't want to be gone. Or I love it, but I'm just not sure what to do with it. So I've been trying to come up with some cute but fairly quick and simple, (and easy to duplicate) cards. These are two that I made with Twitterpated paper, and a stamp from Dainty Thoughts. The two cards are slightly different from each other. I used my piercing tool, and pierced the outline on the green card, and I added some pearls from the Mocha Opaques. (Have you used those yet? I am OBSESSED!)

If you plan to make homemade cards, calendars, gift wrap, or some other wonderful creation . .. NOW is the time to start!!!! I am working on digital calendars, card sets, and pretty soon I'll probably get started on some ornaments with Bryce.

And before I go, as promised, here is a picture from our trip to the pumpkin patch last week! Both boys picked out little pumpkins, and we got one big one that we are going to decorate soon! (Yes, DECORATE, not CARVE.) Carved pumpkins just can't handle the Florida heat, so in order to have our pumpkin actually make it until Halloween, we are going to make a happy little face out of felt for our orange friend.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Boo To You!

Hello! Hello!!! Happy October! We are going to the pumpkin patch tomorrow, to pick out this years pumpkin(s). We have gone to the same pumpkin patch every year since Bryce was born. It's one of my favorite photo ops of the year! (Which is why I was horrified, when my camera was totally malfunctioning last year, and took terrible photos - and for Tanner's very first Halloween. Ahhh, the horror!) This year, all will be well though. The batteries will be charged, the flash will be working properly, and I will probably take a hundred pictures.

Today's card is featuring a circle card, and the stamp set, The Boo Crew. I used Pear, Sunflower, and Black cardstock, along with Sunset and Sunflower ink.

I hope your October is off to a terrific start! I'll share some of our pumpkin patch photos next week!

what holiday is it?

Am I confusing you? The past few weeks, I have gone from Christmas, to Halloween, and now back to Christmas. That's just how I roll!

This is a pretty quick and simple 5x7 Christmas card, using the gorgeous new Christmas papers, called Mistletoe and the new stamp set, I Believe.

I did lots of inking on this, along the edges of the paper. I used a mixture of a few different colors. . .Chocolate and Barn red mostly. And when I inked my images, I inked them in red ink, and then bumped the edges around in a brown ink pad. (I think it was Barn Red and Chocolate!) It's subtle, but it adds a little extra interest and dimension (especially in person. Sometimes it's so hard to photograph those little details!)

Whatever you are working on. . . Christmas, Halloween, or something else altogether, I hope you have inky fingers and maybe some glitter on your nose! Have fun!

STUDIO J

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT JOESUSAN@AOL.COM

Products & Pricing
Studio J® is free online scrapbooking design software brought to you by Close To My Heart. Studio J helps you easily create two-page layouts using our foundational scrapbook patterns, exclusive color palette, and themed designs all delivered in 12" × 12" custom prints ready for your albums.

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You’ve taken the photos—now keep the memories. In five easy steps, create beautiful 12" × 12" two-page layouts showcasing your stories. When the custom prints arrive at your door, slip them into your cherished albums. No one will guess it only took a few minutes to design them!

Purchase Option Price
Per two-page, custom-printed layout $13.00 US
Shipping per box of up to 20 layouts $5.95 US

Membership –
Save an amazing 50% off retail price by becoming a Studio J® member. Order up to 10 custom-printed layouts per month—that’s as many as 20 pages at half price! Only members receive free JPG files of their layouts with each purchased custom-printed layout and also have the option to purchase JPG files separately. JPG files come in both high resolution and thumbnail sizes to print, share, or archive. Membership comes with other perks like exclusive patterns, kits, and free Memory Protectors®. On top of all that, members also get free shipping on their monthly order of 4 to 20 layouts in the continental US or 7 to 20 layouts in Canada and non-continental US shipping zones.

Membership Option Price
12-Month membership $99.00 US
3-Month membership $30.00 US
Per two-page, custom-printed layout $6.50 US
Per two-page JPG file $3.00 US
Minimum layouts per order for free shipping 4 (continental US)
Additional layouts over 10 (per layout price) $11.00 US

5-Pack –
A 5-pack includes 5 two-page, custom-printed layouts, 5 Memory Protectors, and free shipping. Ideal for gift giving, or as an affordable way to try Studio J for the first time.
Purchase Option Price
5-Pack $55.00 US / $73.00 CAN


Shipping –
Close To My Heart products are shipped to the continental United States by Federal Express (FedEx), to the non-continental US by United States Postal Service Priority Mail, and to Canada by Landmark. Studio J layouts ship in a protected box that can hold from 1 to 20 two-page layouts, plus Memory Protectors. Standard shipping and handling per box is priced as follows:
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Package Tracking –
FedEx or Landmark will notify you by email when an order is shipped so you may track the delivery of your order. Studio J orders shipped through USPS do not have tracking numbers.

Shipping Options –
In the continental United States, Studio J customers have 4 shipping methods available through Federal Express (FedEx). These options are not available for destinations outside the continental United States. Upgrading your shipping method will not affect the in-house turnaround time of your order (typically 2 to 4 business days). Please keep in mind that upgraded shipping methods are guaranteed by the carrier, and Close To My Heart is not responsible for shipping delays after the order has left the warehouse. The shipping options are:

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FedEx Ground: After leaving the corporate office, orders using this option typically arrive within 1 to 5 business days, Tuesday through Saturday between 9 am and 8 pm.

FedEx SmartPost: After leaving the corporate office, orders using this option typically arrive within 2 to 8 business days. SmartPost orders are delivered via the FedEx network but will use the United States Postal Services (USPS) for final delivery.

halloween? or not!

I am running with the Halloween theme again this week, although really this doesn't have to be a Halloween card at all! I think it would make a fun card for any occasion, especially for a child! (Bryce will LOVE this, and want this card if I ever let him see it!)

These felt self-adhesive monsters are soooo fun. I paired my fuzzy googly-eyed pal with the matching Hooligans paper. I tried and tried to decide what sentiment to put on this card, and I think I found the perfect one. . . it's from Be Yourself (one of my favorite sets. . ..you can see it HERE!)

To create the vertical purple zigzags on my card, I cut them out from the backside of the patterned paper. Love the tone-on-tone on the back of the CTMH patterned papers!!! It makes them even more versatile!

Have a great day! I'll be back next week. . .and we're jumping back (ahead) to CHRISTMAS again! See you then!

moving backwards!

Last week we thought about Christmas, but now I'm going to distract you. . . .let's go back to Halloween. This is a cute and OH-SO-STINKIN-SIMPLE little treat can. I stocked up on a bunch of these cans, from the Target Dollar Bin, when they were on clearance. Watch for them, and you'll see them here and there! Really any kind of little container would work.

To create the tag, I used a scalloped and a regular circle punch. I stamped the Spot On Backgrounder stamp onto my circle, matted it on the black scalloped circle, and pierced holes along the edges. I think that little touch really makes the tag POP! The sentiment is from Say It In Style (still one of the most practical and well loved stamp sets in my collection!)

I stamped the cutie pie pumpkin face (from Spooky Smiles) onto my can using black StazOn ink. It's slippery, so be careful . . .but when stamping with black, I have an easy trick for boo boos. If it doesn't stamp totally evenly, just use a black Sharpie to fill in any un-inky spots! Easy peasy!!

Okay, on to the assembly. A few pumpkin Peeps. . . put them in a sandwich size ziplock bag. Trim off the zipper part. Tie it with a piece of string, ribbon, whatever you have. Tie a little ribbon bow, attach it to your tag, and use two sided tape to attach the tag to your treat bag. Stick it in the can. And guess what? YOU'RE DONE.

I told you it was easy!
This idea can be VERY easily altered for just about any occasion! This would make a great teacher gift, co-worker gift, or a child's gift! (I think ours is going to be a Halloween decoration for just as long as I can keep Bryce's fingers out of those Peeps!)

It's not too early!!!!

Here it is, SEPTEMBER. . . . and if you are making your own Christmas cards, NOW is the time to start! Before the hustle and bustle of the crazy winter days, get a head start! I have one done now, see!?

To create this card I used a stamp from Christmas Melodies along with the NEW holiday paper, Mistletoe. I also used the new Mocha Opaques Adhesive Gems. (LOVE these things!) The flower is from the Mistletoe Level 2 Assortment. I snipped between each petal a little bit, so that I could fold them and crinkle them a bit. I also inked the edges just a bit!

I hope I've given you some holiday inspiration. Now. . .go get busy! Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming!

Hooligans Invade!

This card was created using our new Hooligans paper pack and felt assortment. They are so darn cute! The inks are both new colors, Gypsy and Lagoon. If you are attending the Round Robin Card Workshop in September, this is one of the cards you'll be creating!

For My Teacher

Here's the great big Kindergarten boy. . .

and here's the card for his teacher!

I stamped the Spot On Background stamp on white cardstock, and trimmed it to be the size I wanted. (Just slightly smaller than the actual stamp size) Don't feel limited by background stamps, just because they aren't quite the shape or size you need! I've been known to stamp a square background and punch circles or flowers out of it. The possibilities are endless!

I stamped the apples (from You're So Sweet), and cut them out (Kiwi or Pear are both perfect shades for this card!) I think I used Clover Meadow for the leaves, and the sentiment, but any of the darker shades of green will work! The sentiment came from the Family Ties - Adults set. And three red buttons finished it off!

If you have kiddos back to school, I hope their year is off to a great start! Bryce is doing FANTASTIC, and he loves it! Hooray!

EDT: I just realized, I used Citrus Leaf on this card. . .so, in addition to Pear or Kiwi being perfect, Citrus Leaf works perfectly too!

more blue skies!

Happy Thursday! Two days until Tanner's first birthday party (but thankfully another week before the ACTUAL day. I'm not ready to have a one-year-old!!! I've been working on some fun decorations, using Close To My Heart products, that I can't wait to share with you next week!

I've also been working on a cute teacher card for Bryce's Kindergarten teacher! I'll have that to share with you soon too!

But in the meantime, I couldn't resist heading back to my favorite stamp set, Over the Rainbow. I was thinking that this card would be really cute in a primary color scheme, of red, blue, and yellow too. Or what about something a little different, like pink, purple, and yellow?

I am off to enjoy the last few days of summer vacation. We're heading out this morning for one last morning playgroup day, with Bryce's pals. Then home to decorate cookies for the birthday party! Have a great day!

You're Sweet!

Happy Thursday! I have a summery, fruity card to share with you today!I used Clover Meadow and Kiwi ink on this card, and raided my stash of miscellaneous buttons and ribbon (I think both were from JoAnn's) to pull this together. The stamps are all from the You're Sweet set.
I'll tell you a secret. . . in retrospect, I sort of wish I hadn't put the ricrack all the way across. I wish it was only across the green cardstock. But I couldn't get it off the card without having to start over. . .

so it is what it is. ;)

Sometimes cards don't come together just as we want them too - and other times we think a card is coming along terribly, but somehow it ends up perfect.

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll see you back here next Thursday!

XOXO

Sweet Cherry-O

Sweet, sweet Cherry-O, how I adore you!!! This paper was new in the Spring catalog, and I just LOVE it. I love the homespun feel of it, and the cute cherries. And I LOVE the color Tulip, so it's just perfect!I stamped the ticket shaped frame from Tasty Treats and the sentiment from the fruity fun set called You're Sweet. A simple Sweet Leaf ribbon and a button from my stash finished off this card. (And the stitched strip at the bottom is just a section of Cherry-O patterned paper! No real stitching required! Shhhhh!)

Thanks for stopping by! (And sorry that I am a bit late this week! I'm sure you were checking every ten minutes for my post! Tee hee! Hopefully the boss lady won't fire me!!!)

XOXO

Hope You Feel Better

Two stamp sets, one color of ink, one color of cardstock, and this simple, simple, simple card is DONE. My cards are getting cleaner and simpler, and then cleaner and simpler again these days. I was trying to decide if I should add something else to this. . . but for now, it is what it is! I hope you like it!

First I stamped the background from Spot On Backgrounds onto ivory cardstock, and cut it out. I stuck it onto my 4.5x4.5 card base. I was going to pop it up on foam tape, which is why I cut it out - but I changed my mind! You could just stamp it right on the card if you'd like. Then I stamped the scalloped circle and sentiment from Tasty Treats. The circle I did pop up on foam tape.

Last week was the Close To My Heart convention, which means NEW NEW NEW product, a NEW catalog, and lots of big news!!!! (I am MOST excited about some new COLORS!!!!!!) Hopefully your trusty CTMH consultant will be along soon to tell you all about it! (Although we are all heading up to the mountains, so you may have to wait a bit!)

Have a terrific summer day!
XOXO

life IS good!

life IS good, because I am typing this blog post from my parents' dining room! hooray! sleeping in the room full of stamps, and playing all the days long with my kiddos and fun, crazy family!

I combined a couple of stamp sets for this card. . . . two of my favorite stamp sets - Treetops and Over the Rainbow . The colors I used are Bamboo, Desert Sand, Topiary (ink on the trees) and Sweetleaf. I headed straight for my go-to finishing technique and added some paper-piercing along the bottom strip when I felt like it needed a little final touch!

I am going to get back to spending time with my family. . . .goodbye computer! Have a terrific day! Thanks for stopping by!!

Roaar!!! Happy Birthday!

I have been waiting for QUITE some time to have the chance to play with the Animal Cookies paper!!! I hardly even did any stamping on this card, because I was having such fun with the paper. I cut out the lion from the paper, and trimmed some cute little squares, inking the edges. This card is based on this week's sketch at Card Positioning Systems. (And you can see this card on the CPS website today too!) The only stamp I used on this is from Dainty Thoughts.

This time next week, I will be at home with my parents, sleeping in the very room which houses more stamps and scrappy goodies than I can imagine. It smells like paper in there. . .it's delicious!! (It also happens to be my old bedroom. . .I can think of no more fitting use for my dear bedroom!) It will be TONS of fun!!
Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by today!!!!

nothing but blue skies!

It's Thursday. . .and I remembered to be here, this week!!! Hooray! And I am here to tell you . . . .I am OBSESSED with this stamp set. It is definitely one of my new very most favorite and my best stamp sets ever. Love. Love. Love. The set is called Over the Rainbow, and if you can't live without it, you can find it right HERE!

This card was sooo super quick and simple. I am doing a lot of plain white cardstock cards lately. White space is a beautiful thing! It really makes your stamps and sentiments stand out and make a BIG statement! Bright and bold is almost always my style!

I stamped the rainbow right onto my card base, stamped the sun over the top, and then stamped it again on yellow, paper-piecing it onto the card. Then I stamped the cloud onto a scrap of white, cut it out, and adhered it with foam tape. The ribbon was recycled from some packaging. . . .I love rescuing ribbon from presents and packages!

I hope the skies are blue where you are! Enjoy your summer day!
See you next week!

Where the heck did Thursday go!?

Hello Thursday, where were you this week? And where was Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday too? Friday, I remember you, I think you were yesterday. And Saturday. . .gotcha. . .you are today. But everything else was a blur. Bad, bad blogger this week, that is what I am!!!!

Too many days at the pool for swimming lessons must have fried my brain a bit, as all the sudden, here we are on Saturday, and I realized - "I Didn't BLOG this week!!!!"

The good news (for me anyway) is that I have found some time to create. . ..and although this is an oldie-but-a-goodie from my stash, I have a couple of super cute new cards using BRAND NEW CTMH stamps and papers - the only sad part for you is that I can't show they to you. There are a couple of publication calls for "never before seen" work - so if the magazines don't pick them up, I will be happy to show them off here. But in the meantime, you can enjoy this one, using Caboodle paper, and the stamp set, Candlelight!

And I promise, this week I will create some goodies with the NEW stamps from my big CTMH box, that you CAN see . . .because there are some seriously cute stamps!!!!

My Creations All-Sorts Mini Album by Sue Waters

Mimi's Boys

Book created by Sue Waters

Sue Waters created this beautiful book for me to show off my adorable grandsons. I haven't had time to add the pictures yet, but I was anxious to share this book with all of you!

On the cover Sue created the title "Mimi's boys", and she added stamping, embellishments, twill, and distressing to the edges. The paper is from our Caboodle paper pack and features the following colors: Buttercup, Crystal Blue, Sorbet, and Sweet Leaf. The colors are great for this book!
For the left page below, Sue used stamps to accent the paper. I love the way she rolled the cardstock edges throughout the book, and you can see that really well on this page. The right side has a flap (see the white hinges?) and this gives more room for pictures! I like the ribbon stapled to the edge of the right page too.
These two pages below feature a lot to look at! On the left side you have a brad and metal holding the flap closed. Inside Sue carried the patterned papers through and once again - more room for more pictures! Gotta love that feature.

The right page shows a big pocket with 3 different tags that can be pulled out. I can see both photos and journalling on those tags to help tell our story.

The picture above is the same page as the picture below. Top - the flaps and doors are closed. I love the way Sue created the closure on the right. Below you can see all the detail on the inside of the left page, and I love the pull out tag on the right with room to journal.

Sue personalized these two pages with the names of my 2 grandsons, Bryce (Age 5 1/2) and Tanner (Age 9 months). She also did actual stitching with our floss on both pages (see the "X").

These two pages have a lot of great embellishments! Notice the corner on the left bottom with eyelets, ribbon, and a corner that you can slip a photo under. The tiny buttons, brads and metals all add to the great look!

The back cover has a flap (bottom right) with a special message from Sue. It closes with one of our brads and metals.

Believe

Oh happy Thursday! As you read this, I am out of town AGAIN. I think most of the summer will find my guys and I out of town, or just about out of town, or just home from being out of town! Between the packing and cleaning before a trip, and the unpacking and laundry after a trip, it's keeping me hopping! Thank goodness for pre-scheduled blog posts, that's all I'm sayin'!

Today's card features Stardust paper . . .one of my favorite collections. Perfect for little boy projects, of which I am always in the mood to create! Also terrific for Congratulations cards, Summer projects, and quite honestly, there are enough neutral patterns in this pack, that you really could use it for just about ANYTHING! I also used a coordinating Stardust Flexi Label. How CUTE are these? I LOVE them. Slap one of those on a simple card, and it really turns it into a SUPER COOL card! Lots of foam tape, and a bit of Liquid Glass on the polka dots creates a lot of texture and dimension here!

I hope you are enjoying this warm, sunny June! I'll be back next week . . .from wherever I am. (I think I'm home next week. I think.) ;)

Good Luck!

Did you read yesterday's post about all the terrific deals you can score this month, from Close To My Heart?? I wish you GOOD LUCK in your attempt to win the JACKPOT!

Just for the occasion (but actually quite coincidentally) I have a Good Luck card for you today! I used some of the new Splendor paper that I was able to snag from my sweet mama's booth at Scrapbook Expo, along with Cocoa ribbon and cardstock, and a sentiment stamp from Dainty Thoughts.

I didn't have a scalloped punch that was quite the right size, so I used a small circle punch to create my scallops. I also used that same circle punch to punch out the corners of my layered squares.

There just might be a whole BOX of CTMH goodies heading my way soon, so I am looking forward to having lots of new projects to share with you in the coming weeks!!! I'm super excited about this, and this, and most especially this!! (Come on, go click on them. . .you know you want to!!!)

See you next week!! Thanks for stopping by!