So did ya go green?

List of to do's for today:

• Wear green - CHECK. Did you? I hope so!
• Give elementary kiddos St. Patrick's scratch off Luck O' The Irish cards - CHECK. Funny story here: I told my first graders that I had a treat for them. They were excited until I reminded them that the leprechaun could play a trick (some of the scratch offs revealed 'bad' luck - i.e. an extra homework assignment) with this treat. One of the boys turns to the other and exclaims (yes, exclaims), "Oh no, it might be YAMS!" Now, picture me trying to contain all of my laughter! Where in the world did 'yams' come from? I just love it!
• Wash car - CHECK. That is if spraying off the salt residue & muck at the car wash counts.
• Deliver birthday gift to mom's neighbor & play with Stella (mom's pooch) - CHECK. CHECK.
• Post a new card on blog:

• CHECK. This is the other card that I created for the PC submission call. I love the concept & the general look, but think it needs a little pizzazz somewhere. Couldn't put my finger on it, so I left it alone!
• Visit those blogs that I haven't gotten to yet - well, I guess I'll be goin' :)

Details:
Stamps - sentiment (Happiness Messages-Hero Arts)
Ink - Chocolate Chip (SU!)
Paper - kraft, Chocolate Chip (SU!); white (Georgia Pacific); dp - Flower Shower Spring Matstack (DCWV)
Accessories - striped baker's twine (Martha Stewart), dimensionals (The Paper Studio)

Monkey See Monkey Do

I'm happy to report that I've made four cards in the past two days....doesn't sound like much, but I've been on a dry spell lately. I was even happier that I was able to create two cards after school tonight....just a few more blogs to visit then I'll be caught up & ready for bed!

I'm made this card last night quickly when I realized one of my students' birthdays was today....why didn't I just make all the cards this summer when I had this brilliant idea????? I finished it up first thing this morning and guess who wasn't in school today! That's okay....gave me a chance to bring it home for a photo opp!

It's a fun birthday card, so I'm hoping the 4th grade boy that I made it for likes it. I realized that I need more boy stamps when thinking about what to make. I wanted to make something with Legos or Star Wars (which would have been right up his alley), but those things do not exist in my craft room.

Keep your fingers crossed that the craft mojo sticks with me...I want to make scratch off St. Patty's cards for 14 youngsters - again why didn't I get this done when the idea hit me?????


Details:
Stamps - Birthday Monkeys (Stampavie)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics
Paper - Green Galore, Only Orange, Soft Sky (SU!); white; dp - Grade School (DCWV)
Accessories - binding edge punch (Fiskars), white grosgrain ribbon, red pearls (Mark Richards)

Happy Birthday Dad

Today was my dad's birthday, and I'm happy to report that I got high marks for all of my good deeds :)


First up was his card:

He really liked it, which says so much! My dad always appreciates the cards I make, but doesn't always 'get' it. Finally a card that impressed him :)


But then I really knocked his socks off!!! My dad loves to give scratch off tickets. In September, I found a tutorial for creating your own scratch off item and knew that I'd be making my dad one for his birthday. For his scratch off, I had four choices which he could choose one to scratch to reveal a gift. Here's the card with the scratch off coating on:

And here are the choices underneath the scratch off surface:

I had to add a whammy, which really made my dad laugh! He thought it was the coolest thing and plans on taking it to work to show his friends....now, he must've REALLY liked this!! And it wasn't because of the fun Jolee's Boutique Slot Machine embellishment :) (BTW, he scratched off the Breakfast On Me space). If you're interested on how to create your own scratch off, check out this tutorial (I followed everything from this except adding glitter).


The night also included some gifts (the Darjeeling tea and a great cookbook) and a yummy dinner (corn & pepper salad, peppered steak, rice, and gobs for dessert). My dad has done so much for me over the years, so I'm so happy that he really enjoyed everything.



Details (Dad card):
Stamps - none
Ink - none
Paper - kraft & Night of Navy (SU!); pattern paper - Bitty Star Basics (Papertrey Ink), Celebrations (Provo Craft), Alex's Plaid (The Paper Studio), Bright Tints Yellow Gingham (Paper Pizazz)
Accessories - navy grosgrain ribbon (Offray), star punch (Fiskars), embroidery floss, Fabric Thickers - By the Yard: Leaf (American Crafts), corner rounder, washers, dimensionals

This Little Piggie Had A Birthday

One of my student's celebrated her 12th birthday on Sunday (almost a leap year baby!!), and I've been waiting all year to make her card. But last week, I had a panic attack and had to check my idea w/her. You see I've had this student since she was in first grade (she's in 6th now), and she's always LOVED pigs! I wanted to be sure b/c the last thing you want to give a preteen girl is a card with pigs on it!!

Guess who still LOVES piggies :)

I know she'll love this card - the colors are right up her alley, too!! Now I just have to get all of her classmates to sign it before giving the card to her w/the special birthday coupons!


Details:
Stamp - Happy Piggies (Rachelle Anne Miller for Stampavie)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics
Paper - white; pink & dot paper (DCWV); Bitty Boxes (PTI)
Accessories - Circle & Petite Scallop Circle Nestabilities; brown grosgrain ribbon (Offray), dimensionals

Think Spring!!

As I told you last night, I had this birthday card to post. My best friend loves flowers, so I knew right away that I wanted a card with a flower. I created a tissue paper flower & used PTI's Turning A New Leaf for the leaves. I just love how it turned out!

and this is the inside:

What a fun color combo too!!

Sorry this is going to be short, but my fingers are still numb from another round of shoveling/breaking up ice. Think spring, think spring, think spring!!

Details:

Stamps - Turning A New Leaf, Polka Dot Basics II, Signature Greetings (all PTI)

Ink - Melon Mambo(SU!); Versamark; Fresh Snow (PTI)

Paper - Melon Mambo, So Saffron, Certainly Celery (SU!), white; Bitty Box Basics (PTI)

Accessories - tissue paper, Petite Scallop Circles Nestabilities, button (Foof-a-la), Vintage Button Twine (PTI), scallop border punch (SU!), corner rounder, dimensionals

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday! Can you guess how old she is? Hee hee!! I thought of this idea about 2 years ago, after my dad's 57th birthday. I couldn't wait for today to get here, so I could make this card for her! In case you're wondering, I printed out a photo of the actual Heinz 57 bottle and cut out the labels. I created my own template for a bottle card and added on a piece of scored white paper for the cap.

My mom is coming over tonight. We ordering pizza, watching movies (Julie & Julia), and eating cake. Then bright & early tomorrow morning, we're off for a day of shopping!

Strip Show

Bet my title got your attention!! Now.....get your head outta the gutter. I'm talking about the strips of dp behind the main image on the birthday card I made for my aunt. I added strips behind the main image on another card and couldn't wait to use the 'technique' (if you can call it that) on another card.

My aunt loves Maxine cards from Hallmark, so I wanted to create something humorous for her. I thought this sentiment & image was perfect! She really liked it, so mission accomplished!

It was a long day today - memorial service for a friend's husband, a Tastefully Simple party, and some shopping with a friend. The weather here is miserable, so I'm looking forward to a warm, cozy day making cards tomorrow. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!!

Fall is the time for.....birthdays!!!

What a busy weekend this has turned out to be! Yesterday I cleaned & decorated for fall. It's my favorite season, and I'd like to get some new items to decorate with. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything that I liked in an impromptu shopping trip yesterday afternoon. I did find the paint color for my bedroom at Lowes - Tin Pail from the Martha Stewart collection. It's so pretty - a combo of slate grey and dark teal. I'll have to take photos when it's finished....don't know when I'll start, though :)

Anyway.....my mom asked me to create some birthday cards for her. She needed two appropriate for a little girl. Here's the first one that I came up with:

I think Rollanda Ketto is so fun and the colors from the American Crafts Teen Collection is just perfect for a trendy card!

Check out all the glitter I added. Didn't you just love glitter when you were little? Okay don't you still!!!

I hope to be back with my Gradient Is Radient card & my Embellish magazine challenge card later today. Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!!


Details:
Stamps - Rollanda Ketto (Stamping Bella)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics
Paper - black, Melon Mambo; dp - American Crafts Teen Collection
Accessories - black & white polka dot ribbon, pink brad, gemstones, circle & pinking circle Nestabilities, dimensionals, Gelly Roll pens

Happy Birthday with a cherry on top!

I created this birthday card a short while ago for Siobhan, one of my blogger buddies. She is such a hoot and the reason I've not purchased any paper for at least 2 months!! (<-this has actually been wonderful....I might do this challenge more often)

I used 3 PTI sets on this - Everyday Button Bits, Polka Dot Basics II, and Vintage Labels. I love the Vintage Labels set - now I can give my Nesties Labels One layers the perfect borders!! I thought the color combo was bright & cheery - perfect for a birthday card :) I'm glad it made it to Siobhan - she's in Japan, and I'm even happier that she liked it!


Details:
Stamps - Everyday Button Bits, Polka Dot Basics II, and Vintage Labels (PTI)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento), New Leaf (PTI)
Paper - white, black, Rose Red
Accessories - buttons, black grosgrain ribbon

Hip-Hippo-Ray!!

Where does the time go? I had an extra long weekend, yet I still have a long list of to-do's....I swear my to-do lists only get longer!

I was happy to finish up the last set of tags for my swap. This one is for a kids' birthday, and I used a new stamp I picked up from Clear Dollar Stamps when I needed more tape for my ATG gun.

I just love this hippo!! I can see so many uses for him. Doesn't he look great with the safari paper from DCWV - I love all the sparkle!! I'm so proud of myself using up the paper I have - in case you're wondering:

Paper Hoarder Challenge - 63 cards/projects down, 37 to go

I know some new stuff has come out for fall, so I'm working diligently to meet my challenge :) Participating in these swaps really helped along with the recent call for submissions to PaperCrafts mag.


Details:
Stamps - Hippo (Clear Dollar Stamps)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics (C-1, C-3, BG10, RV42)
Paper - Chocolate Chip, Safari (DCWV), white, green (stash)
Accessories - Nestabilities circle & pinking circle dies, Pea Swimmy Script font, brown satin ribbon (Offray)

From Me To You - MyGrafico Monday

Today's Monday and that means a new challenge at MyGrafico!! This week is a celebration sketch challenge - join us with the challenge and you could win this fabulous birthday set!



Isn't it great - think of all the uses!! I'm thinking of some Christmas cards with those packages or wedding cards with the cake...how about a congrats card with the shopping bag. Ooops....lost my train of thought...back to the challenge!

Here's the sketch that we're using this week. Feel free to rotate it, but try to keep the general format and create a card for any celebration (birthday, anniversary, etc.). Remember to be eligible for the prize, you need to provide a direct link to your card/project/LO on the MyGrafico Challenge Blog by Sunday night at 10pm (PST). Also, please include the tag/keyword "MG11" to any online gallery you upload to :)



And now for my card....



yep...that's a LOT of brads...won't do that again...but doesn't it look pretty!!! AND.....there's a surprise...



A secret gift card holder!!!!! One of my stampin buddies, Wendy, made a similar gift card holder for Erin when we had a little baby shower for her. I thought I'd add it to my birthday card! Thanks for the inspiration, Wendy!! Continue on to the next post for a quick tutorial on how I created my little gift card holder add-on!


Details:
Stamps - Happy Birthday to You (Cocoa Studio for MyGrafico); sentiment - Everyday Button Bits (PTI)
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics (BG01, R27, YR07, Y08, YG03)
Paper - white, YoYo Yellow, light blue (DCWV), green (scrap)
Accessories - green & white polka dot notecard (unknown), orange ribbon (Michaels), white brads, white circle clip, SU word window punch


In case you're wondering, I'm in good shape with the basement goal! I think I have about 1 more day's worth of work (which in my language is about 5 - 6 hours). It's been my catch-all since I moved in last June. I've gotten rid of a ton of boxes and have a ton of garbage for the lucky garbage guys this week :). I went through my teaching stuff from when I taught first grade and put a bunch of books up on eBay. All that's left is to take the newspaper bundles to the animal shelter, go through the home decor stuff from my townhouse and make a trip to Goodwill, and scrub the half of the basement I haven't scrubbed yet. This will all be in time for me to do laundry - oh yay! (I hope you can hear my sarcastic tone)

Sweet 16

One of my former students will be celebrating her 16th birthday on Sunday. She always sends me a card on my birthday which falls a week after hers. Last year I completely forgot because I was moving into my new house. This year is another story.



While yellow isn't really my thing, she loves it. So...I made sure to include it on the card. If I had total rights here, I would've opted for a light blue. Oh well, she'll love it! I paper pieced the cupcake liner and cut the letters out on my Cricut. Some bling was added with Gelly Roll pens and gemstones.


Details:
Stamp - Cupcake (Michael's $1 stamps)
Ink - black, Copics (RV02, RV10, RV29)
Paper - white, DCWV Spring Stack & Spring Mat Stack
Accessories - gemstones, Nesties (circle & scallop circle), Cricut Alphalicious cartridge, ribbon (Michael's), glitter pens (Gelly Roll)


Thanks for stopping by!!

Happy Birthday

Tomorrow is my dad's 60th birthday. Holy crap!! I can't believe my dad is 60 - I must be getting old too!! ;>)

He came over for dinner today, and I made some of his favorites - meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and gob cake (<-- yummy!!). We had a nice time.

Here's the card that I made for him. I just love this owl stamp. He's so versatile. I added a teeny birthday hat to him from my Stampendous Changito the Monkey clear set. I love how the size makes the owl look even bigger!!

Details:

Stamps - Hero Arts Big Owl; Stampendous Changito the Monkey (clear set)

Paper - Soft Sky, DP (striped & red - double sided) - Cloud 9 Design by Fiskars, white, glossy black

Ink - Black, Brushables markers

Accessories - Pewter brads, curly clip, computer generated sentiment (Bookworm font)

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Buttons

Tomorrow is my best friend's birthday. I think she'll get a kick out of this card, especially the buttons. I dragged her along shopping for papercrafting supplies, including buttons. We went through huge jars of colored buttons at a local scrapbooking store and counted out 200 (they were a steal at $0.01 each).

The card is CASE'd (copy and share everything) from the Hero Arts website. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it, and I knew it would be the perfect birthday card to give. If you look closely in the photo, you'll see the envelope that I lined with DP.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Cupcake Time

There quite a challenge going on over at Taylored Expressions to celebrate one year of cupcake challenges. There are nine sketch challenges to participate in, each with sweet rewards! The frosting on the (cup)cake is one lucky gal who creates for all nine challenges will win her choice of 5 of the January releases or a $75 gift certificate. Wahoo!! I rubbing my Buddha's belly as I type this :)

I wasn't sure if I have time to to get to all nine challenge. With school cancelled due to the ice storm, I think I will. Keep your fingers crossed. I plan to update my blog after I finish each challenge. The deadline to complete all nine challenges is tomorrowing evening, so there's a good chance I'll be in the drawing. Yea!!

So, drumroll please...

Challenge TECC53TV:


Here's my first card. Cupcakes are encouraged, so I may have to use the same stamps for a few of the challenges since my cupcake supply is low. It may be interesting to see the same stamp used in nine different ways. Hmm...maybe another challenge!

I used Liquid Applique as the cupcake's frosting and added some beads as the sprinkles. I just love how it turned out! The middle cupcake is on pop dots to allow it to stand out a bit more. My navy layer was embossed and I rubbed white ink over the dots to make them pop a bit more.

Details:
Stamps - inque boutique Yummy Birthday
Ink - SU Pretty in Pink, Night of Navy
Paper - Cricut teal & pink, SU Night of Navy, DP Making Memories-Aqua PolkaDotScarf
Accessories - Nestabilities, buttons, navy hemp, Fiskars Treading Water border punch, Liquid Applique, pink beads, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder