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!

Close To My Heart has announced a special deal for June!
Read on for more information so you don't miss this exciting special!

50% OFF Products & FREE Goodies!

Hit the jackpot and win FREE products with Jackpot June!

This Close To My Heart special, starting June 1, provides you with a different deal each day. . .
Check out my web sit at susan.myctmh.com daily for each new and exciting offer!

· Some days you can grab loaded Goodie Boxes at 50% or more off retail value.
· Other days are Jackpot Days. These days give you a list of 5 products offered at special discounted prices - - one of which will trigger the Jackpot - - a surprise product you’ll receive free! Take a chance and hope that you buy the right item that gets you the free product, or play it safe and buy one of each, guaranteeing that you will hit the Jackpot!

Either way, you will save money on favorite scrapbooking and stamping supplies by grabbing a different bargain each day in June. Deals include discounted shipping/handling, too! These special offers are available only online so be ready every day to check out my website and get your deal! New deals are posted each day at 9:00 am (MST).

Jackpot June purchases must include ONLY Jackpot June items (the Goodie Box or the discounted items) and nothing else. This will streamline orders and allow Close To My Heart to offer discounted shipping for this exciting promotion.

A great big thank you to Julie Reynolds for sharing her post!

Whoooo loves you?

Sunflower, Citrus Leaf, Tulip. . .three of my most favorite colors. Add in Star Spangled Blue (which is quickly becoming another of my go-to colors!) and there you have the color combo for this card!! I was totally inspired after seeing Susan's fruit card a few weeks ago - I love the way she random stamped the fruit in all of those bright cheery colors! (And I LOVE cheery colors!)

As you read this, my sweet mama and I, along with our trusty sidekicks (our men doing manual labor and babysitting) will be setting up the Close To My Heart booth at Scrapbook Expo in Orlando! We're hoping for a great show, and lots of happy scrappy fun! Then we'll be heading for a day at SeaWorld. I am so excited to be there with my parents and my family - the boys will have such fun with Mimi and Poppy there!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

(card goodies: Whoo Loves You stamp set, along with. . .another set for the scalloped circle, of which i can NOT remember what set it is!!!)

everything grows better. . .

Layers and layers . . . .I don't normally have the patience for this many layers. But I layered it on, and distressed like crazy for this card. (You can see it closer up, if you click on it!) I cut the leafy circle with a circle template (but a cup or bowl works well too. After I attached my circle, I stamped the tree . .. .now here's a secret. since I was stamping on two different layers of paper some of my image didn't completely stamp where the leafy circle meets the trunk - so I filled it in with colored pencil! Perfect!!! I decided after stamping the tree, that I really wanted grass there - so I used an exacto knife, and cut away the bottom of the tree and slid my torn patterned paper underneath. LOVE the way it turned out!!!!

I adhered the sentiment with foam tape, as well as the hearts. But before I attached them, I stitched a little embroidery floss through each one, and tied a tiny knot at the back.

Thanks for stopping by today!

(card goodies: Grown With Love stamps, Veranda paper, Cocoa ink and cardstock, and a little scrap of sorbet paper for the hearts)

a couple of little cuties!

Simple. Simple. Simple. 8 cards. (I spared you from seeing all 8 of them!) A cute little matching set. Perfect for gift tags, for throwing in with a package, or for packing up as a gift! I used Dream Big and sentiments from Say It In Style. These cards are 3x3 - which means you can make 8 card bases out of one sheet of cardstock. I stamped each image on a 1.25 in square, and matted it on a 1.5 inch square.

I really dig SIMPLE. Cute images, and fun colors can stand alone and make a statement without having to do anything fancy! You could make these cards a thousand different ways, with different stamps and colors. And it's a great way to use up scraps!

So there you go! :)

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful end-of-the-week! (It's almost Friday!!!)

C1407 Hot Diggity!

This 8 X 3 1/2 card was made with the new Hot Diggity stamp set. I love the "creatures" in this set. They are fun, adorable, and super cute!

Ink Colors include: Moonstruck, Topiary, Brown Bag, and Goldrush. The cardstock is Goldrush, Topiary, and Colonial White.

B1351 You're Sweet

This card was created using the new stamp set, You're Sweet and the following ink colors: Holiday Red, Clover Meadow, Bubblegum, Citrus Leaf, Orange, and Sunny Yellow.

The brads are Clover Meadow from Z1214 Summer Carnival. The cardstock is White Daisy, Clover Meadow and Citrus Leaf.

D1431 Happy Holidays

I love this new stamp set, and I also used paper from the new Creative Basics Cherry-O Collection.





The ink pad colors are Chocolate and Tulip. I also used Colonial White Cardstock and Chocolate Cardstock. The brads are from Mini-Medley Autumn Garden Z1119.