I Love You This Much

Happy Friday!

Love is in the air and getting closer to Valentine's Day! Its one of my favorite holidays having 5 daughters and I always make special treats for them and my Grand babies! I think I have decided on a type of treat bag I am doing, but I still have just a few days to get them together! I always seem to wait until the last minute :)

My card today is this adorable Changito Monkey! I love these little guys (changito cupid) and wish I would grow my collection of them but my budget always forces me into something else...Like milk and eggs and so on! Who needs food when you can make crafts right? 

My paper for this one is from a 6x6 pad "lovely" made by authentique. I have had it for a while but really haven't dug into it as much as I should have by now. The paper is just so sweet and perfect valentine patterns! Lucky for me, I have the time to use it up a little more! 

Have an amazing weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by!

Thank you/Tweet heart

Hello and Happy Thursday!!!

How about these cuties today! I try to mix things up a bit in my mind so I don't go extreme crazy! My favorite is when I can use the same leftover scraps to make two cards for my collection! 

A little water coloring for these two cards today...The first one with the goat is with a stamp from toodles and binks I have had in my collection for a few years...You know me, I start digging for one thing and out pops the ones in the back I haven't used in a while!

The second card I really can't be honest about the name. I am almost certain it's from Hero Arts, but my crazy self misplaced my backing I had on it! If I find it, I will be sure to come in and edit this for you!

Both cards are made with Stella Rose from my minds eye 6x6 stack.

Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Happiness

Happiness!

Happiness isn't always easy to come by especially when we are at our lowest points. Happiness is always in us somewhere and sometimes we just have to dig deep to find it and bring it to the top!

This is exactly why I love this phrase on this card. It comes from close to my hearts "treasured life" stamp set and its the perfect one to just wish happiness always shines through!

My card base is whisper white with pool party and pear pizzazz accents. My flowers are inked with pear pizzazz, wisteria and pool party pens and stamped. 

Hoping everyone has their happiness on the outside today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love

Hi there Crafty Friends!

Yup, more doodlebug scraps :) This one today is traditional red and white with some layering and a few punches. Stamp is from stampin up "hello life" and I added a bit of bakers twine to finish it off.! 

Enjoy, Thanks for stopping by!

Toucan of my friendship

Hello Friends and Happy February!

Love love love is in the air and many hearts are flying out of my scrappy desk!

This cutie pie is from a looooong ago set from Stampin up called "toucan of my love"

This little guy is just the cutest little bird all ready to explode with love for everyone! 

I used some scraps around my desk and some basic black for layering. Added googly eyes because come on now..Who doesn't love googly eyes :)

I hope everyone is having a fabulous first day of February and thanks as always for stopping by!

Sweet on you

Hello friends

Today was a bit of a valentine mood! I have been putting together a few little goodies to share! I love this little guy I made with the Owl Punch from Stampin up. I just used some of my coordinating scraps from doodlebug design. I had quite a few left from last Valentines Day and wanted to use them up. The balloons are also just a heart punch with some bakers twine.  My sentiment stamp is from taylored expressions. Short and sweet...on you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thinking of you

Happy Friday!!!!

Oh, how I love Fridays...Not because it is the weekend, I am a stay at home mom so my job never gets days off but I look forward to NOT packing lunches in the morning! It is honestly the simple things in life which keep this Mamma happy!

My card I'm sharing today has the help of a stamp set from Close to my Heart "Rustic Flowers"

First stamping the square off two times in pear pizazz then hello honey for the flower and fussy cutting it out. I've added a button and twine from my stash and the sentiment in night of navy at the bottom. I just layered the card on white card stock for some extra weight and called it done! 

This week has certainly been about the simple designs but that is okay by me because crafting keeps me sane and if I can only get a little done, it's okay..at least I am getting my fingers inky in the process! 

Hoping you've enjoyed my inspirations this week and have an amazing weekend!

Thanks for stopping by!

All my Heart

Hello again crafty friends!

Just wanted to share another quick thank you card with you!

This was another quick one just using white and black card stock and the stampin up set "sketch it". The heart is stamped in SU real red and the phase is from close to my heart "curly sentiments" stamped in black.

Easy peasy and making me happy!

Thanks for stopping by,,,Enjoy your day!

Happy Birthday

Happy Hump day Friends!

Oh, I must say how happy I am this day is here...It's the day it starts to actually warm up around this town! I am looking forward to the 30's! Looking even more forward to summer but I guess we have to wait just a little longer for that!

In the meantime, I made another creation to share with all of you. Using Hero Arts stamp" Antique writing" I stamped the background in Su "hello honey" ink. I then stamped just the butterfly section in black and colored it with copic markers. I also added a bit of sparkle to it with wink of stella, I fussy cut the butterfly and put it right on top of the original print in the background. 

I added the "happy birthday" sentiment from the Stampin Up set "create a cupcake" The edges of my night of navy papers are torn a bit to give an antiqued look. I kept the colors very simple in this one and actually love how it all came together when it was finished!

I hope you love it too..Thanks as always for stopping by for a peek!

One Big Meaning

Good afternoon crafty friends!

Sometimes the simplest things turn out to be one of my favorite things! This quick card set is just one of those times. I was actually looking through my stamps for something in particular and came across this older set in my stash from Close to My Heart. It's called "Seashells by the Shore" and I was thinking I must just grab it and make something sunny and fresh on a cold winters day! 

I paired it with Stampin Ups "One Big Meaning" set and did some back to basics stamping. The seashell is done with calypso coral ink by stamping off twice then stamping on my single layer cards. May I add they are the vanilla cards/envelopes from recollections to make it even easier! For a little extra touch, I also stamped the seashell on the envelopes. That's it...just clean and simple design and a bit of a belly band and matching tag to group them together. 

I hope you enjoy them and find some inspiration of your own!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Note

Love Note

Hello everyone!

It is soooo cold here in Chicago land and this girl is meant to be on the beach. Right now it's about -20 wind chill and that is just too cold for me!

I spent a lot of the day crafting and drinking tea! Pretty much anything to stay warm!

My card I'm sharing with you today is a creation using one of my Taylored Expressions stamps. This one is a sweet valentine I snatched up a few years back. It's one of their single collection stamps and I just love it!

Using Stampin up "very vanilla" for my base and accents, I paired it with My Minds Eye "lost and found 3" 6x6 stack. I used some walnut stain for the antiquing and the sentiment comes from the Stampin up set "olive you". I also did a little paper piecing for the elephants with the pattern papers...I just couldn't resist those! They were so cute and the paper just jumped right out at me saying USE ME! USE ME! I added a little wink of stella to all of the hearts after coloring them with my copic markers to finish it off with a little sparkle! 

Well, if you are nice and warm where you are, I must say I'm super jealous right now...If you are freezing like me...I hope you find some fun crafty time and stay warm!

Thanks for stopping by as always!

A little Thanks

Scraps Scraps Scraps!!!!

I can't tell you how happy I was to make this project. Remember that Christmas advent tree I made a few months ago? I made three of them altogether for my girls and grand babies and I will tell you they left me with (75) 4 x 8 1/2 inch pieces of paper. I couldn't just throw them away, that would be a sin!

I finally was able to sit down and think of something I wanted to do with them. Somehow these 3x3 note cards with envelopes made their way into my heart. I used a simple heart punch with the "one big meaning" set from Stampin Up. 

The box probably took the most time seeing I had to think about measurements and its been a really long day and thinking was probably not one of my biggest priorities! Somehow, with ONLY one messed up piece of card stock I managed to get it right :)

Hopefully with a few more hours left in me for the evening I can maybe spice up another card or two. You never know considering I can easily spend two hours or more on a single card!!! I do have plenty more of these scraps so I am guessing another boxed set is in my future as well...Maybe I should keep my notes on the box this time so no more major  thinking is involved!!!

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Nautical Happiness

Hello friends!

Winter can't keep me away from enjoying some nautical cards...I really wasn't sure where these were going when I started. I just picked up some colors and went from there. 

My sailboat card I just used a circle and a square punch with some fancy pants design paper "beach babe" to design my sailboat. Both cards use CC Designs "underwater sentiments" set and Stampin Up "work of art" set. The Fishy card used Penny Black set "Mermaids". 

More snow is blanketing our paths again but nothing will keep me away from enjoying summer fun in my craft room!!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!!!

Money Can't Buy Happiness

Cupcakes Cupcakes Cupcakes!

Oh, how I love a good cupcake and lucky for me it's just a short drive to the city to grab some sprinkles cupcakes. It has been too long since I have had one and I'm thinking I may have to grab one of these daughters of mine and head downtown for some fun and treats!

Today's card was certainly inspired by those very same cupcakes! Money sure won't buy happiness but put a cupcake in almost anyone's hand and I promise a smile will be attached!

I used Stampin Up stamp "sprinkles of life and some paper from My Minds Eye "lost and found"

Added a few extra bling because...well why not! I put a few seed beads and some wink of stella on the cupcake topping itself for some extra fun. 

If you have set those new resolutions, I am sorry if I made you want some cupcakes, but hopefully I have inspired some crafty work along the way!

Thanks as always for stopping by!

The Little Things

Hello and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I can't believe another year has clocked itself in the books! I must say it wasn't one of the best years I have had but I can say that I am still alive and get a chance to try another one. I did have many blessings among the heartaches and I am grateful each and every day for that gift! Hello 2016...I have many plans for you!

As for creating, I feel so lucky I still get to inspire many with my work. It may not always be as involved as it was once upon a time but I do enjoy the clean and simple designs as well. I have a bit more time these days so I can really put my heart back into it!

Today I am sharing one of  those clean and simple designs. with just a punch and some clustering (I must say I love clustering) Splattered a bit of solar gold lumier pot and punched a heart. Made a tiny banner with a stamp set from "hello life" from stampin up. added a cute button for a pop of color and finished. The picture actually doesn't do this one justice, but I promise...It has that sparkle you have grown to know I love!!!

Wishing all of you good health and happiness in the new year!

Let it snow

Let it SNOW!

I know I really shouldn't say that by looking outside but I guess sometimes you just have to go with it! As I was shoveling all of our snow the other morning, I just felt I needed to make a sweet snowman. It was very odd, just me, 7am and everyone in the house sound asleep. I still just had to let the kid in me out while it was still pretty warm out there! We had a ton more snow the rest of the day so he is now covered and looks nothing like he did when I made it. It was fun while it lasted and I can only hope that is the last big snowfall for a while!

As for my card, My stamp is Stampin up ala carte stamp "frosty friends" You know me and I can never pass up a cute snowman stamp and this one was no different! I colored him up with Copics and added some glitter and wink of stella. Just added a white card base and clean and simple. These little guys are going to make a few happy smiles this holiday season!

Thanks for stopping by...Stay warm! 

Joys of the season

.

More winter happiness to share today.

We received about 11 inches of snow in our first snowfall and I am hoping mother nature isn't teasing us of what is to come this winter. I don't mind some snow, but I do mind A LOT of snow!

Now to my card...Using a Hero Arts clear stamp set (sorry not sure of the name) I stamped and colored the house with my copics and added some glitter, gloss and sparkle. I used a few scraps for the sketch and put them altogether on a plain base. I inked the edges a bit to give it a little depth but other than that it was a pretty simple design. I love when I can create something simple which I love the finished product. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and have an amazing week to come!

Thanks as always for stopping by! 

Merry Mittens

I

Hello sweet patient friends!

It has been one incredible year for me and I'm feeling so blessed I can begin to share my passion with everyone once again! I noticed my last post was in April and that is way too long to not have crafting in the forefront of my life!

Sometimes when life gets in the way, you just need to take a giant step back and push it aside as hard as you can. Crafting is who I am and it certainly keeps me sane with five daughters and five grandchildren!!! 

Thank you for coming back to visit. I hope I can share many goodies and create a little spark of inspiration for all of you!!

Today's creations are so fitting considering today is our first official measurable snowfall! With it, comes anywhere between 4-10 inches so we will see what happens in the morning!!! 

I used the mitten punch from Stampin Up and a few SU papers as well.  The snowflake embossing folder was offset a little to give room for the happy holidays greeting (embossed in silver). Those little bows on the gloves were a bit hard to tie but my fingers managed to do their job. Thank you very much for that fingers! The "be merry" card was designed from this weeks sketch at Splitcoast. felt that little notch in the design was perfect to hang the mittens. I do love how these two cards are completely different colors with the same punch and make such a completely different feel. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you keep warm out there...that is if you need to!

Touch of Nature

Good morning friends!

Spring is out there...I think. It has been hot/cold/snow/rain and that is all in the last week! I really want to see spring come and stay here for a while so I can get out there with all my little ones!

My card I'm sharing today is made with Stampin Up's "touch of nature" set. One of my favorites for sure! I actually was inspired to make this card by the scraps on my table. I had just made the mini album I shared and had lots of black scraps everywhere. Now if you know me by now, black just isn't my thing all the time. I seem to have a lot of trouble coming up with the perfect layout when I use black.

I used a dots embossing folder and inked the embossed area with black. I then just colored the bird and added the ribbon. Once I got all the measurements to where I was happy, I looked back and was proud of what I came up with. It may not be the hardest card in the world but I used my scraps on the table and that makes me very happy!

Enjoy your day friends and thanks for stopping by!

Graphic 45 By the Sea Mini

Hello Everyone!

I just wanted to share real quickly an album I made for a trip to Cape Cod later this year. Instead of adding a trillion pics I just shared a few of the pages and the outside view. It took a bit of time to put together but once I got going it seemed to have a great flow to it. Finished there are six pages all with pull outs and pockets.

All the papers were either from the 12x12 stack or the 8x8 stack of Graphic 45 "by the sea" collection. The ribbon was from my stash and the Charm I put together from a few sea embellishments I had all attached to a Tim Holtz ring. 

Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it!

God's Handwriting

Good evening blogging friends!

I saw this sign while walking through the mall and the inspiration fairy hit me! I loved the colors of the background and knew I would love making something similar to it. I was thrilled when I started digging through my collection of stamps to realize I had the perfect stamp to fit my inspiration.

I used Stampin Up's "God's Beauty" for the stamp and just some markers on watercolor paper for the background. I finished the card off with a tag punch to match the tag on the sign. I love the way the colors all came together. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find your inspiration when you least expect it!

By the Sea Side

Taylored Expresions "Surf's Up" stamp and DCWV summer stack

Stampin Up "Summer By the Sea" and paper scraps on kraft base

Taylored Expressions "Pearl" with paper by Fancy Pants

Hello Again Crafty Friends!

I have been hiding for a couple weeks but happy to know I have been  hiding in my craft room. I have just been working on some scrapbooks and loving it since it is my first love!

In between I have made a few cards and want to share them with all of you! 

I  have listed the main products under each of the photos for you just in case you get the urge to love these stamps as much as I do. 

Thanks for stopping by and I can't wait to share some more creations with you. I'm still trying to catch up a bit on my scrapping but I will certainly be throwing some cards in the mix :)

Have a wonderful Weekend everyone!

Sweet Friend

Good morning bloggers!

It's another cold one here in Chicago but spring promises to be around the corner and I am holding it to Mother Nature to keep her promise..This winter has just been crazy!!!!

Today my card is for the Just us Girls challenge. I really loved looking at all of the different concepts the design team came up with for this photo inspiration. It never amazes me how many difference you can come up with when you are all seeing things just a little different in your own eyes.

I used My revolution vase die with some paper from a paper studio "little safari" paper stack. I added some extra bling because you know I love the bling and the sentiment is from Taylored Expressions "pennant parade" set. 

Head on over to the Just us Girls site to try out this challenge for yourself! 

Thanks for stopping by I appreciate it!

This Special Season

Merry Monday #147

This week at Merry Monday Challenges its all about the "star" I wish the sparkle would show up on this card because it just glitters and shines in every movement. I have no idea if it's my new room I craft in or just my camera is just gone mad but I can't get decent photos that capture the true feeling I give my cards.

I just used some white on white for this one and stamped a sentiment from the Stampin Up "special season" set. The ssmaller stars are punched right into the card staock and backed with gold glitter paper and the larger star is punched with the same glitter paper. I took some smooch, added a bit of water to speckle the background of the card. 

If you would like to try your hand at this challenge, Head on over to Merry Monday challenge blog and get started each week on those Christmas and Holiday cards!

Thanks for stopping by everyone!

Thanks, I'm so Lucky

CTS #112

Hello everyone and happy FRIDAY!!!!

Even though I'm a stay at home mom/Grammie I look forward to the weekends and having all my ladies home. It seems school and sports take up so much of their lives these days it's just nice to have them around. I hope everyone has fun plans for the weekend or just gets to enjoy some down time for themselves!

My card today I designed for the the Case this Sketch challenge. It looked pretty straight forward to me (a classic clean and simple design) and this is my take on it. I used Echo Park "hello Summer" 6x6 pack and my Lawn Fawn "thanks" die. I also grabbed a Taylored Expressions "friendship blooms" set to add to the sentiment. I added a few bling and finished up the card on some green card stock. I hope you like it and head on over to try your hand at these fun clean and simple card designs! Just click on the link below the picture of the sketch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kindness Has No End

Good Morning!

I hope everyone is staying warm and out of all the nasty snow and ice out there. I am about ready for spring myself and is basically what motivated this card! 

If you know anything about me at this point, you know I love making card sets. This one is actually a little 3x5 size set I put together with the new Lotus Blossom set from Stampin Up's     Sale-a-bration going on right now. I keep pulling it out because I just love it so much!  I used my envelope punch to make the matching envelopes and tied it all together with a belly band and scallop circle. 

Thanks as always for stopping by and taking a peek :)

Chicken Coop

Happy Wednesday Bloggers :)

Just digging through my stamps and decided I would pull out an oldie but goody. I haven't used these little guys from Stampin Up "Best of Cluck" set in quite a long time. I love looking in the back corners of my shelves and seeing what pops out for inspiration. 

I used a 6x6 paper stack from the Farmhouse paper collection "market square barbershop" I had put the first one together and had a lot of scraps from it so I figured I would make the second one while it is out. I added a little raffia to give it that little extra farm feel..and because I love the stuff!!!  

I hope you have a wonderful day..Stay warm out there if you are freezing like me!

Little White Dress

Good morning crafty friends!

This little angel is the reason I haven't been back in a couple weeks :)

My newest little grand baby Emily was welcomed to the world last week. She is the sweetest little lady and love her to death already! This makes four for me now with another one due in a short ten weeks!!! I am the luckiest Grammie in the world to have the most amazing growing family. 

Fitting in with the baby theme, I wanted to make a sweet little girl card. The picture really doesn't do it justice, so please forgive me for that. I just used some white 120 pound card stock and cut down the sides like I do my baby onesie cards. This time I used an embossing folder to make the lacy design and added some ribbon, a bow and a pearl in the center for that extra elegant look. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful crafty day! 

Merry Little Christmas

Merry Mondays #145

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well and happily crafting! 

Today I have an entry for another challenge. It's the Merry Monday's challenge blog. I love when I get a chance to play because it gives me a head start on my holiday cards for next year!!!

The challenge this week was all about candy canes. I pulled this guy out from my Taylored Expressions stamps because he is just too darn cute! I went with some non traditional Christmas colors because there is so much red and green around, I thought winter colors would be just as adorable with this little guy!

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek and if you have a chance, click on the link above and head on over and play in the challenge!

Stamps: Taylored Expressions: "Woodland Winter"

Paper: White, Smokey Gray

Designer paper " Stampin Up Winter Frost"

Copic markers W0,3,5

Extras: Silver sequins, ribbon

Climb a Tree

Case this sketch 109

Good morning crafty friends!

Today I have a sketch challenge card to share with you. I haven't played in a challenge for a while so it was nice to get a chance this week. 

Over at the "case this sketch" blog they are running this weeks challenge. It was a fun sketch to put together and I had a lot of fun putting this card together. I used taylored expressions "up a tree" stamp and colored it with my copic markers. I added the sentiment and a few sequins to give it that sparkle you know I love! If you have a chance, head on over to the blog and give this sketch a try for yourself!