Oval All and Mojo Monday

I have a sneak peak of a set that is coming in the next SU! mini catalog... starting April 1st!! This first picture is of the "bonus project" my gals at class got to make on Saturday. We did this fabulous cupcake project using Crazy for Cupcakes, and then I whipped the supplies out to create this cute little Easter basket!


Today I wanted to stamp during nap time (still now as we speak, knock on wood!), but I could not think of anything to do! So when I lose my Mojo, so to speak . . . I have to turn to something to help me get started . . . a sketch, a color challenge, a new technique... since today is Monday, I relied on Julee's fabulous Mojo Monday sketch. I haven't done one in a while, and I am so glad I did it, because I love how this card turned out!!



I used the Regal Rose prints from the Level 1 Hostess paper pack, and that gorgeous stamp is from the Oval All set coming in April!! I used Shimmery White Paper and added Dazzling Diamonds to the flower.

And finally, for your daily dose of baby (who by the way, is awake now, but happy, so I'm going to finish my post) please enjoy the following picture. Being the good mommy that I am, when my son got trapped under the table while trying to pick up the cereal he dropped, rather than rescue him, I ran for my camera! :-)


I did get him out after I snapped a few pictures. I promise. :-)

Time to Stamp!!

I am so excited!! I made time to stamp today! It certainly helped that out of nowhere, the baby decided to take two naps today, which hasn't happened in awhile...

I used Amber's Viva La Verve sketch for the first week of February. I decided to be a rebel (ha ha!) and flip the sketch sideways. I know Father's Day is a ways off, but I think I am going to add some Mother's and Father's Day cards to my etsy shop to see if they will sell.


I did something new for me too . . . I "did" the inside of the card too. What do you think?


Here's your daily dose of baby:


Today was a rainy day, and along with two naps, he grabbed a blanket and hopped onto the couch and covered up. (He's never done that before, so I had to snap some pics!) I also caught him in a VERY rare moment--being NICE to the cat!!! I think the cat might have been more surprised than I was.


Could he be ANY cuter? (yeah, probably by tomorrow!!!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you are having a wonderful, relaxing day with your friends and family. We are having our very own little family Thanksgiving here, with just the three of us. I'm making way too much food, and we will be eating leftovers all weekend! Yum!

As you may know, I've had the honor of serving as Limelight's 7th Six Chick (Guest Designer) for the month of November. It has been such fun! Today is my last official "job" as such... the sketch and product challenge.

While some of us are busy pouring gravy all over our turkey and mashed potatoes, I know there are an equal number of people out there who are pouring over the Black Friday sales ads! I can hear them shouting "Bring on the sales!". They must have been listening over at Limelight, because not only do they have some awesome sales scheduled for Black Friday, they also have a challenge focusing on all things black! How easy is that?! Anything black will do, although, I recommend the Black Magic cardstock, black licorice Pixee Stix glitter, or black fun flock! If you don't have anything from Limelight, go ahead and play along anyways! Here is the sketch:

• Sketch and Product Challenge using black for Black Friday!
  
• Uploads to SCS should have the keyword: LLPC009
• Participants should post a comment and a link to their card on Mandy's blog, all entries must be submitted by Sunday, November 30th, at midnight for a chance to win a Limelight Papercrafts Gift Certificate.

Here is my take on the sketch... I turned it into a tall card, 3 x 6. I used SU! in colors, Tangerine and Kiwi, as well as black. I also used these adorable Thanksgiving images from Unity's Fall Festival that my friend Lisa sent to me (yes, there IS a Unity kit I do NOT own... :-) Thanks, Lisa, for sharing!! I hope you are enjoying some PIE today! :-) Finally, as some fun embellishment, I knotted a length of Raven Tulle from Limelight. Fun stuff!! I think I need some Copics (oh, but first I need to win the lottery, since that's pretty much the only way I'll ever be able to afford them!) because I really don't love the coloring job I did. I need to practice.

Make sure you check out the other talented design team gals' cards:

Becky
Brandi
JenMarie
Katie
Lisa
Mandy
Ryann

This next card does not fit the sketch, but I had to include it in honor of Black Friday tomorrow. Ever since I got the black Pixee Stix Glitter and black Tulle I have had some version of this card in my head. I knew I had to do a black and pink "shopping card" for Black Friday. I used the purse and sentiment from Unity's Shopaholic kit, as well as Distressed Dots background, which I stamped with Versamark, added heat and stick powder, and the black glitter!


Happy shopping tomorrow! Don't forget to shop at Limelight! Mandy arranged some AMAZING deals!! Straight from the Limelight blog:

Don't miss these great deals this weekend...supplies are limited to the early birds (but we have plenty to go around)!
*Pebbles, Inc. RIBBON IRON packaged with TWO assorted RIBBON PACKS - $10
*Unity Stamp Company's LUKE 2:14 GLORIOUS ANGEL - $3.50
*Unity Stamp Company's DELECTABLE DELIGHTS stamp set - $4.50
*Odd Bird Planet's Snowman - $10 (This stamp is BIG!)
*Odd Bird Planet's Beau Christmas - $6 (assorted, facing left or right)

Wacky Wednesday

Why is today Wacky? I don't know!!! I just remember this really funny book that I LOVED as a child, called Wacky Wednesday, and I think I MUST get it for my son. (after just now searching for this book on Amazon, I have discovered that it was written by Dr. Seuss! Who knew?)

Lisa picked the challenge for our Unity Wednesday Challenge this week. She gave us this gorgeous picture as inspiration.


I don't really know why I ended up going with this red/black/gold Asian feel, when I don't see that at all when I look at these plates. That is what was stuck in my head as I was creating, though. I ended up doing lots of embossing for this card, and I was reminded why I don't emboss very often!!


The red background paper is Paper Company Starburst Translucent. I embossed the Retro Circle Boogy from Unity's Good Times kit in gold. I also spread super bronze Pearl ex Powder onto that paper, which left all those blotches you see. The butterfly is also embossed on Riding Hood Red, cut out, and only the body is glued down. The wings are folded up, for depth.

I hope you have a fabulous day!

Hope

Good morning, my stamping friends!

This week Unity Girls' challenge was something to do with HOPE... let me see if I can remember-

H-use a sentiment stamp that says something about hope
O-put ribbon ON your card
P-use pink on your card
E-use an embellishment that starts with "M" for Mammogram

I *think* that was the challenge... So, I used my "hope" stamp from Floral Fantastical, I used the fabulous Pink Pirouette super wide SU! ribbon, lots of other Pink Pirouette, and a metal embellishment over the sentiment, from an old Hodgepodge Hardware set. I LOVE how this card turned out!!


Make sure you visit all the other Unity Girls--their links are in my right sidebar!!

We are trying only one nap for the baby this week. Last week he refused to take his afternoon nap, so he was super tired and cranky and ended up going to bed for the night at around 6pm!!! So yesterday, I tried putting him down at 11, instead of 9 for his nap, and he did end up sleeping for about 2 hours. Hopefully he will get used to this new schedule pretty quickly, and maybe the nap will even get longer??? Please???? :-)

Here he is waiting for Daddy. When Jay gets home from work, I just say "Daddy's home!" a few times, and the baby drops what he is doing and races to the gate, climbs up there and squeals with delight as Jay opens the side door and comes in!! It is super cute! I know it makes Jay's day, too.

Getting Ready for Hip HOP!!

Good morning! Today's Unity Girls' challenge was to use something clear, ribbon, and your newest Unity stamps. Here is my card! I really like how it turned out! If you want to participate, check out the Unity forum at SCS! At LEAST come on over on Thursday and Hip HOP with us!! :-)


I haven't figured out what else to do with my chunky glitter, other than to run glue along the edges of my cardstock and coat it with glitter. What are you using yours for? I'd love some new ideas...

Have a wonderful day!

Spider Card and Bed Head

Happy Tuesday! I have a Halloween card to share with you today. I have made more Halloween things this year than ever before, and I don't even know who to give them to!! Amber Hight gave us a great sketch on the Unity forum to use, and I followed it pretty literally. Here's the sketch:


And here is my card:


Here is my baby, reaching for the camera. He LOVES anything you are holding that does something, and he wants it! The phone, the camera, the remote control, you name it! He had some serious bed head yesterday, too, although I'm not sure if you can tell very well in this picture.


I am so glad colder weather is here! It is only supposed to get up to 55 degrees today, but it is nice and sunny. PERFECT!! Have a great day, and

Leaves, Flowers and Music

Yesterday we took the baby (when will I have to stop calling him that? He'll be ONE in about 3 weeks!) to a nature trail to go hiking. He had a blast romping around in a giant leaf pile. Isn't he adorable?


On Thursday, one of the Hip HOP challenges was to make a card with flowers. I cannot believe I never inked up this awesome Unity chicken before! I used markers (Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie and Rose Red) to ink him up, and then "huffed" before I stamped. Added the Felt Flowers and half back pearls from SU!, and a little knotted ribbon. I really like how this card turned out!!


Finally, another card to share: A simple quote card with just Certainly Celery and black. A little piercing at the corners, and although I don't think you can see them, there are some tiny pearls stuck to the starbursts around the quote.


Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Thursday, Peeps!

Good morning, peeps! My little marshmallow friends! How are you today? I hope you are ready to Hip HOP!!! Go to the SCS Unity forum and par-tay with us!!! Party starts at 11am EST, and lasts into the night, so check in any time you can!

A few days ago, I did Julee's Mojo contest sketch. She always has such great sketches, and I need to remember to try them more often!


Yesterday, I stamped two cards for the SCS sketch challenge. I used lots more patterned paper than I usually do. One with SU! stamps and one with Unity stamps.


I am off to try some baby announcements for an old friend that is due with a sweet little girl very soon. I'll share what I come up with. Have a great day!!

Owls and Oogly

Good morning! Happy Wednesday! Today the Unity Challenge for Unity Freaks or Unity Customers, or whatever it is called, was to make a masculine card. Make sure you check out all the other Unity gals' cards (links are on the sidebar.) Here's mine:


I don't know if I like the little owl face I made in the corner. I liked the idea better in my head! Does that happen to you sometimes?? We also had a "hubby challenge" going on, where our husbands/boyfriends/significant others would stamp a card. Although a little uncomfortable stamping, my lovely dh did stamp a card. Here it is:


Not bad for his first time stamping, eh? I am proud of him for giving it a try, even if just to humor me! :-) Finally, I picked up a little Target dollar spot book for the baby today, called One Oogly Eye. It is an adorable counting book with silly monsters in it! He liked it so much he got this big cheesy grin on his face!


I hope you all have a great day! See you tomorrow for Hip HOP Thursday!!

Lots and Lots of Pumpkins!!

Happy Monday!!!

I finally tried the little mini pizza box pattern from Jen del Muro that was posted for the SCS technique challenge last week. I changed the measurements so the box was 2 1/2 inches square, so 4 mini PB cups would fit perfectly! I made three of them. I think I will make more!


Here is a closer look at one of the boxes, although this is about as simple as it gets!



Saturday we took the baby to the pumpkin patch! He had lots of fun!!! I did too, as I took the opportunity to do a little photo shoot! Here are some of the "fruits" of my labors.... :-)




That's all for me today, folks! Have a wonderful week!

Hip HOP!!!

For those of you who don't know Hip HOP!, you should check out Unity's Hip HOP! Thursday celebration in the Unity forum at Splitcoast. It is EVERY THURSDAY!! Start HERE, at the Unity Blog for a blog hop, and join the party! Angela and Chris and the gang give away $300+ in stamping goodness EVERY week!!! Warning, though, it is addictive!!!

I couldn't get enough of the SCS color challenge this week: Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, and Kiwi Kiss. YUM-O!!! Here is another card I did with this combo.


I inked the flowers in Kiwi, then removed the ink from the flowers with a tiny piece of sponge (I'm sure you could use a paper towel instead) and then sponged Tangerine onto the flowers. I dabbed some Chocolate in the centers of the flowers with a marker. Voila!! It sounds more complicated than it is.

Maybe I'll see you at the Unity forum!!! Until then, Hip HOP! and--

Wacky Wednesday Card

Good morning to you!

I am sharing my Wednesday Unity Challenge with you today. It was my week to pick the challenge! It was hard to decide, but I finally came up with this: make a non-A2 sized card... tall, skinny, square, round, whatever, just not A2 (regular 1/2 sheet CS folded in half.) I started by trying to make a really big card, but it was just too big for me, and I wasn't inspired. I ended up with this card, which is actually a trapezoid.


The folded edge is shorter than the edge you open, so the top and bottle angle out to the side. Why did I make it a weird shape? Well... I was trying to fix a mistake, and I already had all the bling on, etc., so rather than trash a whole card, I decided that given the sentiment, perhaps a lopsided card could be considered beautiful too? :-)

The butterfly is only attached at the body, so the wings fold out from the card. The stamps are from Unity's Something Within, and Friendship, Love, Miracles, plus the Distressed Dots background, which I LOVE, love love!!!

Make sure you go check out all of the other girls' cards today--over on the right you'll find the links! And join us chatting and winning on Thursday at Hip-HOP!! Thanks for visiting me today! Take care, and--

Fall Colors and Daily Dose of Baby

Good morning, folks! I did the Splitcoast color combo challenge today. I squeezed it in while the baby was napping, but he is up now, so I will have to make this quick so I can go rescue him! The color combo was Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango and Kiwi Kiss, which I really ended up loving, and will definitely use again! I think it is a wonderful fall combo. I did two cards: one all SU! stuff, and one with Unity. I want to try to do this more often, so you can see that you really can copy cards you like even if you don't have the same stamp set that was used. The SU! catalog is a great place to get inspiration like that, as well as Splitcoast. Just find a card you like, and make it, subbing whatever stamps you have!




I used "Simply Said" for this SU! card. It is a sweet little set.

On another note, we took the baby to the part for the first time on Sunday. We have a fabulous little park that has a super soft rubbery "floor" beneath it. The baby seemed to like his first time in the swing. He also played in the sandbox, went down the slide with Daddy, and hung out in the grass for a while.


Have a great day, and