Lego Birthday Card

  We have been jam packed with birthday activities since last Wednesday.  We finished up the birthday extravaganza on Sunday by celebrating Ryan's 6th birthday.  Yup, the boys have birthdays 4 days apart.....makes for a very busy week at our house every July!  Ryan has been very excited to turn 6 and the day finally arrived on Sunday.

The boy LOVES paper airplanes!

6 years ago!

  And now for the very important 6th birthday card!  Ryan and Alex have both been into Legos this summer.  We have all sorts of creations built and demolished every day.  I think they are great except when I step on one barefoot!  So I decided to do a Lego themed card for Ryan's birthday.  Aren't these colors great together?

  It took a little bit of fussing (and some extra trimming) to get everything lined up but I'm pleased with how this card came out.  I used the small circle on the Owl Punch to make the bumps on my "Legos".  It was a great way to use up some small snips of scraps that I had left from cutting the blocks.

  The "6" was die cut from the new Typeset Alphabet dies.  You get all the letters, 10 numbers and the ampersand.  I really like the size of these letters since they are a great size for A2 cards.  With some alphabet dies you have a hard time getting more than one letter on a card front if you'd like to spell something.  I also used a new kind of paper for the "6".   It is coming out in the Holiday catalog August 1 and is called Core'dinations cardstock.  It's sooooo cool!  It has a texture like the retired textured cardstock but even better because it has a lighter core which means if you sand it down a bit you get an awesome worn look with the lighter color coming through!  Here's a close up....

  It's really cool up close and also if you emboss it then just sand the raised pattern it looks even better! Or tearing so the rough edge has a lighter look....so many options with the new Core'dinations cardstock!  The colors that it comes in are Gumbal Green (which I used here), Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler.  Perfect colors to get ready for Christmas!

  Hope you have a great day and stay cool!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: none

Ink: none

Paper: Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White, Gumball Green Core'dinations

Accessories: Circles #2 die,  Paper Piercing Templates, Typeset Alphabet die, Owl Punch

Nugget Thank You

  Just a quick project to share today!  Lots of things on my "to do" list that need to be checked off!  One of which is to get a few photos of projects off the camera and edited so I can share them. 

  I made these last week to tuck into my customer order bags.  I have such a great group of ladies that come out to my classes and support my little business that I love to make a little something to put in their bags to show my appreciation.  These were so easy to make and can be changed to match any occasion or season!  I whipped these up while Matt and I were watching tv.  The Simply Scored really made this go quickly!

  They are sooooo cute!  They hold one of the Hershey Nuggets perfectly!  And it's a great way to use up any Designer Series Paper scraps you have.

  I got the instructions from Beth Rush over at Beth's Paper Cuts.  She has a great tutorial with measurements and lots of photos.  Definitely check it out and leave her some love.  Thanks for sharing Beth!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Banners

Ink: Tangerine Tango


Paper: Rose Red, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Floral District DSP

Accessories: Simply Scored, Fancy Flower punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Crop-a-dile (retired - used for small flower center)

My Baby Boy Turned 4 Yesterday!

Ack!  How did my youngest get to be 4 years old already??  We celebrated Alex's birthday yesterday starting before 6:30am which is early for the boys.  Alex said he couldn't sleep any longer since he was so excited for his birthday!  The kid has been telling people for 6 months that he's almost 4!  We had pancakes for breakfast, opened gifts and invited some friends to the park to have a birthday celebration. We took a break in the afternoon and just hung out with my parents and played with the new gifts.

 Birthday boy opening his gifts...love the jammies, party hat and lei don't you!?

4 years ago when Alex was brand new!  He still has the chubby cheeks!

  Here is the card that I made for him.  I know it's a super old set and I bought it ages ago after it was retired but the little vehicles in By Land still make me smile.  I Dig You is a current set that has a similar look if you wanted to make a vehicle card.

  The layout is from the Create with Connie and Mary Challenge from last week.  I used the Color Coach to get a nice fun boy color combination to use.

  The base is Tempting Turquoise embossed with the Striped embossing folder.  The little banner is from the Summer Smooches DSP pack.  I colored the car with my markers and then stamped onto Whisper White.  I added Old Olive brads to the wheels.

  The sentiment is from Up, Up and Away and is stamped in black and punched out.  I added a Tempting Turquoise button tied with baker's twine.

  A sweet card for my sweet (not so) baby boy!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?


Stamps: By Land (retired), Up, Up and Away

Ink: Black, Tangerine Tango - markers

Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP

Accessories: Stripes e.f., brads, button, baker's twine, circle punches

Masculine Welcome Neighbor

The heat seems to have taken a bit of a break the last 2 days here in Central Virginia.  Yesterday it was only in the mid-80s but the humidity was still pretty high.   We managed to get outside and play as it feels like we been stuck inside way too much lately!

  My card today is one I made last week to welcome a new neighbor into the neighborhood.  As my local stamping ladies know they are building a lot of new houses all around me.  It's been a mess of worker guys, large, loud trucks at all hours and just a general disruption of the neighborhood.  We knew houses were going to be built someday and we honestly expected it to happen 5 years ago when we first moved in but the lots remained empty for years due to the downturn in the housing market.  Now they've built/are building 9 houses!  That's a lot of new neighbors!  A few houses have been completed and moved into so I've been slowly getting my butt in gear to make a card and a little something to bring to the new neighbors.

  One new neighbor is a single guy in his 30s (I think) so my standard jar candle wrapped in DSP with a matching card probably isn't going to make a huge impression on him.  Instead, I decided to make some chocolate chip cookies and a card to take over.  We tried to deliver the cookies over the weekend in the blazing heat (I think the cookies baked a little more on the walk over!).  But the new neighbor wasn't home and hasn't been home since.  I guess he's on vacation.  My boys are only too happy to take care of the cookies before they go stale!  I'll make another batch of cookies but at least the card is finished!

 The new products that I used for this card are the Chevron embossing folder on the Gumball Green panel.  I also used another new In Color Midnight Muse.  I used the new paper piercing essentials pack to detail the strip of Midnight Muse.  Pairing new accessories with older or retired stamp sets brings a fresh look to some old favorites. 

  So what do you think?  OK for a new neighbor?

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Good Neighbor (retired), Something to Celebrate (retired)

Ink: Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse, Gumball Green

Paper: Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse, Gumball Green

Accessories: Chevron e.f., Paper Piercing Essentials pack, scallop circle punch, large circle punch, dimensionals, brads

Happy 9th Anniverary...to Me!

  Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary.  We marked the occasion by doing......nothing!  Our babysitter is out of town on vacation so we just decided to postpone the hoopla until next week when my parents are in town visiting so we have free babysitting (and spend more on going out!).  We didn't even exchange gifts since neither of them shipped in time.  We did exchange cards though.

  Here is the card I made from my sweet husband.  I got the layout from Create with Connie and Mary and the colors from the Clean and Simple Challenge (CAS) at Splitcoaststampers this week which was to use navy, Olive and white.  Perfect for a masculine card.

 I used a Night of Navy base.  Then on a layer of Whisper White I made 3 banners using the Houndstooth, Square Lattice and Chevon embossing folders.  I stamped the sentiment in the corner after using my markers to get the 2 different ink colors.

 Next I added a length of 1/8" Night of Navy taffeta ribbon (retired) to ground the top.  I used the markers again to ink up the balloon from Up, Up and Away and stamped it and cut it out.  It's popped up on dimensionals on the circle and I added a punched heart with a Night of Navy brad.

  Stamps: Up, Up and Away

  Ink: Night of Navy & Old Olive markers

  Paper: Night of Navy, Whisper White

  Accessories: Houndstooth, Square Lattice and Chevon embossing folders, Circles #2 die (retired), brad, dimensionals, 1/8" taffeta ribbon, Heart Trio punch (retired)

  But wait....There's more!

  My husband being the sweetie that he is stamped me an anniversary card all by himself.  He's no stranger to my stamp room seeing that he built most of the furniture in it and he has been known to stamp a card or 2.  He asked on Wednesday if he could book some time in the stamp room and who am I to say no to stamping genius right?

  Pretty good huh?  He even used the Color Coach!  I'm a lucky girl!

  Have a great weekend.  It will be super hot here in Central Virginia again so I think it would be a good weekend to stay inside and stamp away!

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Razzleberry Bird Outlined

  Just a quick post today to show the final card that my ladies made last week at my New Catalog party.  I really like the fun bright colors in the Floral District DSP.  They are perfect for summer.

  Again, we used a lot of new items here!  The base is Lucky Limeade and then a layer of Whisper White which we stamped the leaf/branch and then the bird from Betsy's Blossoms stamp set in Rich Razzleberry.  After the bird was stamped the ladies used the new paper piercing template to outline the bird.  Then the wing was stamped again and cut out.  It is popped up on a dimensional.  Make sure you paper pierce before adding any embellishments....the template won't sit flat against your cardstock otherwise.

  Then a strip of Floral District DSP was added to the bottom of the Whisper White panel.  The finishing touches are the new stitched grosgrain ribbon ribbon and the faceted button on the leaf.  We added a rhinestone to the faceted button for even more sparkle.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Betsy's Blossoms

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade

Paper: Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Floral District DSP

Accessories: Paper piercing template, Rich Razzleberry stitched grosgrain ribbon, faceted button, rhinestone, dimensionals

Serene Gumball Trees

   I am at loose ends this morning!  My husband decided to bring the boys into his office for a few hours this morning to show them where he works etc.  Apparently there is not much going on due to the 4th of July holiday.  I think he's nuts to bring both of them at the same time (they are good kids but they are boys after all!) but I'm not complaining about a summer morning to myself!  If only I had more warning I would have had some "me time" planned.  Of course I could always stamp right?  =)

  The card I'm showing today is another one that my group did last week at my new catalog party.  I'm really glad I got the Serene Silhouettes stamp set.  It really caught my eye in the catalog and I've seen a lot of great cards made with it.

 This is another card that is loaded with new products!  First is the layer of Gumball Green (new In Color) that was embossed with the new Chevron embossing folder.  The next most obvious item is the new wood button tied on with linen thread (aka Man Ribbon). These buttons are great for nature inspired cards as well as masculine cards.  They add just the right touch without being over the top.

  For the image panel I made a frame with one of the new Apothecary Accents Framelits by cutting out the shape and then using the remaining opening and laid it over a piece of Very Vanilla and sponged some Crumb Cake ink.  Then the trees were stamped right over the top of the Framelit sponged shape in Gumball Green.  A little edge tearing on the Very Vanilla piece and a strip of Early Espresso and that part was finished.

  Adhere everything together on to a Crumb Cake base with a small strip of First Edition Specialty paper and we've got a card!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

  Stamps: Serene Silhouettes


  Ink: Gumball Green, Crumb Cake

  Paper: Crumb Cake, Gumball Green, Very Vanilla, First Ed. Specialty DSP, Early Espresso

  Accessories: line thread, wooden button, Chevron e.f., Apothecary Accents Framelits

Primrose Make A Cake

  Happy July everyone!  I hope you are all safe and sound (and with power) after this past week's storms!  We got a big one Monday afternoon and then again on Friday night.  We only lost power for a few hours during the night right as we were heading to bed on Friday so it wasn't a big deal for us but I know a lot of others in our area lost power as well as damage to trees and property.  Please stay safe!

  This past week I had my New Catalog Party & Retirement sale.  That was a lot to prepare for!  Pricing all the items, designing/prepping the projects, cleaning the house and refreshments.  Well, I cheated a bit with the refreshments since I didn't make any of it, just went to the store.  But I had a great turn out and the ladies all seemed to like the new products that I introduced and they enjoyed "shopping" my retired stash. 

I had well over 100 retired sets as well as a ton of miscellaneous items.  These photos were taken on Wednesday before the morning session started so a lot had already been taken the night before.  Too much stuff huh?  That's exactly what my bulging stamp room keeps telling me!

  If you're interested in seeing what is still available for purchase you can see my sale listing over on Splitcoaststampers HERE. 

  On to one of the projects my stamping ladies made for the new Catalog Party!

 New colors, new stamp sets, new ribbon, new Designer Series Paper, new Framelits....Oh my!

  The base is the new In Color Primrose Petals.  The stamp sets used were Make a Cake and for the greeting; Itty Bitty Banners.  The ribbon is the new style, 3/8" stitched satin ribbon,  that coordinates with the new In Colors.  We used Midnight Muse for this card.  The DSP is called Patio Party and is filled with fun banners, flags and great patterns.  After stamping the cake and flags (just mask off the cake when stamping the flags for a neat image) we use the new Apothecary Accents Framelits which has 4 great shapes included to cut out the cake.  A rhinestone was added for some sparkle and then the cake panel was popped on dimensionals.

  In other Stampin' Up! news, demonstrators were allowed to pre-order from the Holiday Catalog starting yesterday.  I think I went a little nuts so you may start seeing Christmas projects super early this year!  Now is a great time to join Stampin' Up!  The starter kit is totally customizable now!  You get any $125 worth of products for just $99.  And you get to see and order new products early (along with a ton of other great benefits!).  If you'd like to learn more just give me a shout!  I could talk stamping all day!

  Keep cool!  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Eat Cake, Itty Bitty Banners

Ink: Primrose Pink, markers- Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse

Paper: Primrose Pink, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Patio Party DSP


Accessories: 3/8" stitched satin ribbon, rhinestone, dimensionals, corner rounder, Apothecary Accents Framelits