Celebrate with a robot

Well, I am waiting on cookies to bake so I thought I would make a quick post and then I can take them out of the oven and go to bed.

I usually only pull out the silver embossing around Christmas time, but it was perfect for this 'boy' robot birthday card. I love this stamp set, Little Boys...it has been around for a while, but it is new to me. I used the sports paper pack...I have a ton of it left after a workshop. One of the best parts about this card: silver gel pen. SOOO Simple and it gives it that 'just' something that it needs to finish it off.

Hope you are having a great week! I am looking forward to the weekend!!


On a side note...my blog is nearing 10,000 hits...I will be posting some blog candy soon!!

Fresh and fun.

Almost summer...the blog needed a face lift.

I made the new header using a photo from my art room. You can see an entire album of my fun and very colorful 'art room' series here.

I downloaded the free fonts a while back...I don't know if they are still available, but for a great free font, you can check here and here.

And here is a fabulous 'action pose' drawing by one of my special needs students....It is AMAZING! The best one from the entire class.

Jump for Juniper

Jeanette's Color Me Monday colors this week are so great!! I was very ready to 'jump for juniper' this week!!


Here are my cute little 'anytime' cards made using the new 'You're a Hoot' stamp set. I colored the branch by inking it with desert sand and then using a Juniper marker on the leaves before stamping it. I used the brush end of my marker and it sort of wiped off the desert sand...I did clean the tip after a couple of leaves so it wouldn't get stained brown. I really like how the leaves look in person, I will definitely be doing this technique again.



After trimming the branch out and adhering it to the card, I added liquid glass to the leaves to make them shine. I didn't have a speck of vanilla cream in the house so I used a scrap of B&T from 'That's Amore' and a scrap of B&T from 'Perfect Day' on my card base. After finishing the card, I realized it needed some more texture, so I used my paper piercer around the edges and added some desert sand with a sponge.





I absolutely love the journaling frames from 'Frame of Mind' for cards...not just scrapbook pages. They are soo cool, I really love to layer them, like I have done here.

Sometimes when I make something for a challenge, I end up making two or more things. This happens for many reasons:
1. I don't like sketches, so I just play around with the elements until I find something I like.
2. After a lot of trial and error, I have left over parts and I want to use them on a new card.
3. The first one isn't good enough and I think I can do better.
4. I really enjoy the combination of colors and images and I have to keep going until the idea is seen all the way through or I get tired of it.
5. I have just a few leftovers, perfect for a mini-card or tag
6. I think of a new sentiment or idea that just won't fit on the original card.
7. The original card doesn't work at all....and I end up turning it into two smaller cards (sort of what happened here)
8. I just can't let one tiny scrap go into the scrap box forever...I have to use it immediately, or else it will just be forgotten and wasted....
9. I have a lot of time left before I need to drag myself to do laundry or some other chore (or bed)...so I use the time to 'keep going'...my mojo is still working, so I just continue on with the same idea, rather than try to start something new.
10. I stamp something I don't like and then I figure out a way to use it, or cover it up...sometimes this means going back to something I have placed in the 'discard' pile.

Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge #31

Today I was so excited to come home and make cards for this week's Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge. The movie this week is Steel Magnolias. I had never seen this movie until I watched it on YouTube yesterday. Wow. Sad. Not a good idea to watch it on Mother's Day. It was sooo sad! It was also hilarious. If you have never seen it, I recommend it! Also, all day at school today I kept hearing and saying the name Shelby...I never realized it, but I have a Shelby in every one of my Monday classes....

My favorite character was Truvy, played by the fabulous Dolly Parton. Here are a few of my favorite quotes: (I was especially inspired by the last one for this week's cards...I couldn't make just one!)
Truvy: In a good shoe, I wear a size six, but a seven feels so good, I buy a size eight.
Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it is marchin' across your face.
Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.
I have a strict policy that nobody cries alone in my presence.
Smile! It increases your face value.

One of the requirements this week was to use PINK:
Shelby: My colors are "blush" and "bashful."
M'Lynn: Her colors are "pink" and pink."
Shelby: My colors are "blush" and "bashful" Mama!
Shelby: Pink is my signature color.

Here are my cards. At one point at the end, someone (I think Sally Field) says that 'they are Tickled Pink'....I HAD to use my new Tickled pink paper. Also, since the wedding colors were blush and bashful, I used plenty of blush ink and card stock!

Life is Good. Card # 1




Love is like a butterfly. Card #2 (I forgot to photograph the inside...it says 'it goes where it pleases, and pleases where it goes'...a perfect quote for this movie!)



Smile. It increases your face value. Card #3

Simply Creating: Tree Card

My first time to participate in a challenge over at Simply Creating. This month's challenge is to use a tree. I made this card Friday night. I worked on lots of fun stuff this weekend!! Yay!! I love it when I can devote some of my weekend time to cards and crafty stuff!!

For this card I used some paper from one of the new paper packs, Back Country and I also used a new stamp set Treetops. I had a lot of fun playing around with the distressing kit on this card.



Using the same paper and some different stamps, I made this card also with some of the tools from my distressing kit.


Here are a few more cards I made Friday night. I played around with You're a Hoot.

Happy Mother's Day Card and Reminder, Open House tonight 7:00 pm

***Reminder, Open House tonight 7:00 pm**** Email me with your phone number if you need directions!!


Last night I was working on some cards an I found the remnants of last year's Mother's Day cards. The envelopes were never finished, but they were stamped and shoved back into the sack of coordinating papers. I don't really remember what the cards looked like or how they turned out...but compared to what I have been creating lately, I know they weren't all that great.

Last year at this time, I wasn't a blogger. I did not participate in challenges. I did not photograph my artwork. Amazingly, I have hundreds of photos on my computer of my work since last July. Blogging keeps me accountable because of the writing, audience, and reflective process.

Anyway, here is my mother's day card this year. It is a criss cross card. I will be teaching my card club how to make these next month. The paper pack, Tickled Pink is only available for National Scrapbooking Month and I love it!



Nearly everything is CTMH. The 'Happy Mother's Day' is from an old wooden stamp that I had from years ago. I stamped it in Versamark and used chalk over the lettering. The brad in the the middle of the flower is K&Co. (super pretty in person!) and the white ribbon is from my stash. Anyway, these were fun to make...I had to make 3 because I have a mom, step-mom and MIL. Enjoy!!


Oh, and here are some pretty may flowers for you.I was having fun playing around with some of the settings on my camera.The irises were practically destroyed the next day from a bad storm that came through. The peonies smell fantastic! I have 3 vases in my house right now!!

Owl Always Love you Color Inspiration #51

So....you know how sometimes you get an idea and you just have to see it all the way through...You really can't get anything else done until the creative spark is seen into fruition. That was me last night. I postponed watching the Idol results show until this card was finished. I was sitting there, looking at a shelf with some wooden owl stamps on it...and then I started looking at my acrylic owl stamps and I decided to do an OWL Line Up...I really wanted to use ALL of my owl stamps on a card. Sort of like when you get all of your stuffed animals out and line them up in rows on your bed from biggest to littlest....(as a kid!!)

I wasn't too sure how this would work because I have a lot of owl stamps. So I just started stamping and cutting. I decided to work with this week's color inspiration challenge colors...to simplify things a little bit...I knew it would be a busy card regardless....

After stamping all of the owls, I realized that I had 3 sizes...baby, medium, and big. I even had some egg stamps...maybe I could make an accordion card showing all of the stages of 'owl' ages. Well, once I actually made the accordion part, I realized that the eggs wouldn't fit so I left them off.

In order to give the chocolate cardstock base some variety, I did some clear embossing. I let my husband heat up the last panel, he likes watching the powder melt...and he was waiting for me so we could watch idol. It was pretty cute.

I added the rhinestones as an afterthought. The card was 'missing something'. The 'love' paper was stamped with the Tiny Typewriter alphabet stamp. I popped the 'brown' owl off of each panel for some consistency. I think this is a fun card. Thanks for looking!




I just love these colors!!

So happy this Birthday layout and Handwriting Analysis

Last night I decided to combine a bunch of things that I have been collecting over the last few weeks. I transferred some journaling from my birthday into my own handwriting and I included a Snapfish photo collage on this 2 page layout.

This layout is for 2 challenges. One is over @ the Creative Type blog. The challenge is to use a bunch of our handwriting and then do a handwriting analysis to see what our handwriting says about us....



What does your handwriting say about YOU?

I went over to the Handwriting Feedbucket site and here is what they said about my writing:
The results of your analysis say:

You plan ahead, and are interested in beauty, design, outward appearance, and symmetry.
You are a shy, idealistic person who does not find it easy to have relationships, especially intimate ones.
You are diplomatic, objective, and live in the present.
You are reserved, shy, cautious, and thoughtful.
You enjoy life in your own way and do not depend on the opinions of others.


This layout is also for the Scrapbook and Share blog. The challenge is for "National Scrapbooking Month and it is supposed to be a layout all about you! We want you to share your story with us, so put together your best two-page layout featuring…you! Send a JPEG photo of your layout and a description of how it is highlighting you, your life, your passions, your hobbies—whatever is the best way to tell your story."

The prize for winning is $150 in Close to My Heart Product....Also, did you know you could win a Tickled Pink scrapbook it just for leaving a comment on one of the layouts. EACH AND EVERY DAY, someone who leaves a comment will win a kit!!! Wow!! Go leave some love!!!

I included some funny stories and pictures to tell my story. The pictures were taken over the last year and a half and the stories are from my birthdays....Some are really funny....




yeah...I am a little nutty....this is only a small collection of all the photos on my computer of myself.....Go ahead, make fun of me.....

Life is good!!

A few weeks ago, I learned how to make a paper ice cream cone via this tutorial over at the Angie's Blog. She has a lot of simple creations for workshops and things, I just love her videos!

Anyway, last night I really wanted to make something for fun and ignore my to-do list (Mother's Day cards, graduation cards, designing cards for a June workshop, etc.) So I was browsing blogs and I came across this great color 'challenge' over at Jeanette Lynton's blog!



I am super excited because these are Close to My Heart colors!! I will be looking forward to this weekly posting: !! Yay!!!

Anyway, here is my set of ice cream cone cards based on the colors and the tutorial. I have changed the cone a little bit to make it my own....but it is basically the same. Everything is CTMH, except the ribbon...those are just some random bows I had laying around. If you have any questions, please ask! Enjoy!!



***I was just thinking my cards looked a lot darker than the examples on her site....that is because I accidentally used Crystal Blue instead of Heavenly blue...ooops!! All well, they still look alright!!******

Happy National Scrapbooking day!!

Over at Creating Keepsakes blog, they are having a fun celebration for National Scrapbooking Day!! There are several free downloads and a fun NSD giveaway available today!!


To be eligible for the giveaway, you have to download one of the magazine covers and insert your scrapbook page, post a link in the comments and let others know about the contest on your own blog. So here is mine! I am not completely literate in Photoshop, but I can get around when I have to...especially to have fun being a COVER GIRL!! Hehe!!

Enjoy!!