Courage

I like this saying, "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." I think this applies to each one of us....life is all about growing and changing on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, right? We just hope that we make the right choices and end up where we are supposed to be on this journey of life!
God bless each one of you on your journey......

Stampin' Up supplies used:

Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla cardstock. Also used "Newsprint" Designer series paper and the Scallop oval punch to create the flower. Small oval punch used for the leaves. "Vintage Wallpaper" embossing folder used for background. Black n Vanilla Striped Grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Trim border punch, Jewelry Tag punch, Basic Pearls, and Victoria Crochet Trim used also. The stamp set is "Hope Happens."

Good Alien!

This is such an adorable set to make funny cards or kiddie cards with! I got crazy with the colors and patterns on this one, but it seemed to call for it! Hope you have just found a new way to use your "Word Window punch"......

The stamp set is called "Greetings, Earthling!"

Stampin' Up! items used:

Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Pacific Point, Basic Black and Daffodil Delight cardstock. Word Window punch, Scallop Trim border punch, 1/2" Circle punch and the 3/4" Circle punch used. White Gel pen used for 'sewing.'

Hope he made you smile! :-)

Tea Time!

Remember I said I enjoyed hot tea in the evenings? Well, here's another card using stamps from the "Morning Cup" set! I worked on it while sipping a cup of Constant Comment....nice and relaxing. You oughta try it tonight. :-)

So, here's another design for use with this wonderful stamp set. I decided to go a bit 'vintagy' with this one. Hope you enjoy the sentiment with it too! It's from the new set "Favorite Thoughts" which is only available until August 31st. You might not want to miss out on this one....it's great!

The SU colors used in this card are: Very Vanilla, Marina Mist, Early Espresso and Crumb Cake. Also used is Stampin' Up!'s new 5/8 Victoria Crochet ribbon!

Time to go steep yourself some tea! :-)

Caffeine Delight!

As evidensed by the content of my blog header......I enjoy my caffeine!! :-) I'll take it in many forms, but espresso is my utmost favorite. Starbucks knows me by name.....and my drink! :-) SO, with that said....when Stampin' Up! came out with this wonderful "Morning Cup" stamp set......GUESS who HAD to have it! Yes....Your's truly. It is a delightful set and if you are a tea drinker (which I enjoy in the evenings) there's adorable stamps in this set for you too!

The colors used in the following card are : Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Marina Mist and watercolor paper. You'll notice more of the wonderful Striped Grosgrain ribbon! LOVE IT!! Also take note of the new Antique Brads! The pack comes with 5 different designs with a total of 20!

Hope you are as delighted by this set as I am!

Hydrangea Beauty!

I believe Hydrangeas have to be some of the prettiest garden flowers to have growing! This stamp captures the detail and beauty of these flowers. Imagine all the different colors you can use in your own creation! :-) Hate to tease you with this one, but it's only available to those that Hostess a qualifying workshop....so if you have a Demonstrator near you, give them a call! OR you can place a $150 order through my website and receive the stamp set for free!

The colors used for this card are SU's Whisper White, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizazz. The wonderful ribbon is the Daffodil Delight Striped Grosgrain....also available in ten other colors! Also used were the Scallop Oval punch and Large Oval punch.

God Bless You

I don't know about you, but I never seem to have Sympathy or Baptism cards on hand. This particular stamp set has three beautiful crosses in it as well as the sentiment 'God Bless You'....so I had to purchase it! :-) I like the fact that it has an elegant cross and a couple that have a bit of a Celtic flair to them....you'll see how that worked to create two different style cards by just changing the colors and the crosses used.

The background of the cards was made using Stampin' Up!'s new 'Elegant Lines' embossing folder.

Marina Mist and Whisper White cardstock used on this card....as well as SU's new pearls!

Kraft and Early Espresso used on this card.....as well as SU's new Antique Brads.

Hope you enjoy!

Shark Teeth Hunt!

This past Saturday we headed to Breezy Point Park for some sun, sand and a shark tooth hunt! The entire shoreline of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay is full of sharks teeth. You have only to lightly sift through the sand and you will find a tooth at this particular park. It's great fun! If you love to bake in the sun like I do, you just lay on your towel and play in the sand and you will find these interesting treasures. I have to drag my child off this beach.....she can't get enough! I'm posting a really quick scrapbook page of our adventure (done with 'My Digital Studio')....and then a picture of all the teeth my daughter found in this one trip! She was so proud! (Of course we were too, of the many we found) :-)

My daughter's treasures found....to include sea glass!

Hope you get a chance to visit the area sometime and experience the fun of shark tooth hunting! :-)

Owl Delight!

If you haven't seen the new Owl Punch by Stampin' Up! you will soon see what you are missing! It's so adorable.... and punches all the parts to complete the owl in one punch! Too much fun! :-)

On my card, I hand drew the tree and then used the new Wood Grain background stamp on the tree to give it texture and interest. (didn't want you to think there was a tree punch....but we can always send in suggestions to SU for that!) Hope you enjoy the use of the Owl Punch on my card....

The background was brayered with Marina Mist (new In-Color) and the greens are Old Olive and the new Pear Pizzazz. Designer Series Paper used on the side is from SU's new Greenhouse Gala pack (can you tell I LOVE this paper pack!) Other colors used are SU's Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White and Peach Parfait.

In the following card I added outstretched wings to the owl by punching the wing from SU's Two-Step Bird Punch! It works wonderfully!

Sweet Celebration!

Okay, how many of you out there have an insatiable sweet tooth?! :-) You know who you are....must have dessert before or after your meal!! :-) Well, this card is for you!

What a fun, happy and summer like stamp set! Don't you just love it?! Is your mouth drooling? This was a must have in my stamp arsenal.....it's called 'Sweet Scoops'. There are several stamps in this set for you to mix and match your image as you wish....fun, fun, fun!

This stamp set is only found in the Summer Mini catalog and will no longer be available after August 31st....so make sure you purchase it before time runs out! See the set below:

The background embossing effect was done using a stylus in my cutter's blade channel....hope that made sense! :-)

The Stampin' Up! cardstock colors used are: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Daffodil Delight and Peach Parfait.

Because I Care

'Because I Care' and 'Thank you' sentiments BOTH in this wonderful Hostess stamp set! Unfortunately you cannot order this set, but if you Host a workshop then you have the opportunity to earn it. All the other elements and card stock is available for everyone to order!

Pacific Point Blue, Kraft (now Crumb Cake), Riding Hood Red, Basic Black and Old Olive card stock were used in the design of this card. The flower was stamped with Craft Whisper White ink. Hope you enjoy!

CD Case for Gifts!

Want to make a neat gift for your special friends or family members? Why not burn a disk of your favorite songs... or burn a disk of your home family movies... then package them in a CD case made and designed by you! The options for your design are endless and can be tailored to the person you are sending them to. It's a lot of fun to make!

The basic dimensions and instructions can be found HERE from Splitcoast. I changed the dimensions of both pieces to be the same so there wasnt a seam across the middle of the cover on the ones I made. You can do the same if you wish.

The stamp sets I used are from Stampin' Ups! Summer Mini Catalog and the new 2010-2011 catalog.
"Artistic Etchings" and "In a Word".

Other Stampin' Up! items used:

Kraft, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla and Basic Black cardstock.

Designer Series NewsPrint Paper, 1-1/4" Basic Black Striped Grosgrain ribbon and the Jewelry Tag Punch.

"King of the Grill"

Do you have a male family member, spouse, or boyfriend that loves to grill outdoors? Then the "King of the Grill" stamp set is perfect for you to use in your cardmaking, scrapbooking and/or giftmaking! Such a fun, carefree image with several sentiment options for your use! Hope you enjoy it as much I have!

The card below was made for my dear Dad for his Birthday...hope it inspires you to have fun with the stamp set and layering of your punches.

"King of the Grill" cling-mount stamp set is only available through August 31st from the Summer Mini Catalog....so make sure you to mark your calendars so you don't miss out!

Other Stampin' Up! items used:

Mini Library Clips, Hemp Twine, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Real Red cardstock, 1" Circle punch, 1-1/4" Circle punch and 1-3/4" x 7/8" Oval Large punch, Silver brads and the Square Lattice embossing folder.

"Friends Never Fade"

This is a delightful new stamp set from Stampin' Up! called "Friends Never Fade"
C #120618/ W #118750.
With 4 stamps included in the set, it has many possibilities. There's also a gorgeous paper pack that compliments the images in this stamp set....called "Greenhouse Gala" #117167.  Hope you enjoy the samples I've created using the paper and stamp set!

You might have noticed the wonderful embossing done on some of the paper....this was done using Stampin' Up!'s new embossing folder called "Vintage Wallpaper" #120175.

Hope you like the new stamp set as much I do and have fun using yours! :-)

2010 Catalog Release Today!!

Hurry up and take a look at the new catalog! It's wonderful! So full of new ideas, great stamps, new colors, new accessories!! You'll go crazy! :-) Just click HERE to view the PDF file of the catalog. If you'd like to order one, you can go to my website HERE to do so.

It's going to be another wonderful Stampin' Up! year!!

Baby Boy Congrats!

My little sister had her first child last month....Timothy Alexander....and it was such a joy to be there through her labor and birth of her child! He is such an adorable child and I've enjoyed every moment I've gotten to hold him.

I wanted to share the card I made for my sister and her husband....and also some baby pics!! Hope you enjoy them!