Blog Hop: Step It Up!

Happy new month to you! It's August...?!! Yikes! Summer is almost over!

Well, a new month means a new blog hop!! This time my blogging friends and I are going to try a little something new. We're going to each create a pretty card, and then step it up to show you just how much adding a bit more can do for your creations!

Personally, I used the latest from Freshly Made Sketches as my starting point. I kept it very simple this time, but I still think it's pretty. Also, it took probably less than five minutes to make! Gotta love that!

Supplies:
Stamps: Butterfly Basics
Ink: Blackberry Bliss
Paper: Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake, Blackberry Bliss, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Hexagon Punch (pennant end), Big Shot, Butterflies Thinlits

However, if I make the base less plain with some embossing, and a bit of distressing via stamps and ink, then pop the butterfly up, and add a pretty little pearl accent, it can look even better!

Supplies:
Stamps: Butterfly Basics, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Crumb Cake, Tip Top Taupe, Versamark
Paper: Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake, Blackberry Bliss, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Basic Pearls, Hexagon Punch (pennant end), Big Shot, Butterflies Thinlits, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

What do you think? Of course the second one requires more time, and more supplies on hand, but it also adds so much to the fun of the card!

Now click the hand on to get to Cheryl's blog, then hop on thru to see what everyone has ready to inspire your crafting!

New Weekly Deals!

I'm still alive, but still no stamping... for real I think this week... *sad face
The bathroom is about half done, and ya know, all the rest of life going on...
In the meantime, here are the Weekly Deals this time! I'm hoping to order some of this discounted ribbon! And maybe the Little Number dies!!

	Stars Framelits Dies Item # 133723 Regular Price: $27.00 US/$33.00 CAN Discounted Price: $20.25 US/$24.75 CAN
	Schoolhouse 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock Assortment Pack Item # 139009 Regular Price: $7.00 US/$8.75 CAN Discounted Price: $5.25 US/$6.56 CAN
	Go Wild 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock Assortment Pack Item # 139000 Regular Price: $7.00 US/$8.75 CAN Discounted Price: $5.25 US/$6.56 CAN
	Hello Honey 5/8" Striped Cotton Ribbon Item # 138417 Regular Price: $7.00 US/$8.75 CAN Discounted Price: $4.90 US/$6.13 CAN
	Tangelo Twist 5/8" Striped Cotton Ribbon Item # 138420 Regular Price: $7.00 US/$8.75 CAN Discounted Price: $5.25 US/$6.56 CAN
	Blackberry Bliss 5/8" Striped Cotton Ribbon Item # 138421 Regular Price: $7.00 US/$8.75 CAN Discounted Price: $5.25 US/$6.56 CAN
	Little Numbers Thinlits Dies Item # 138278 Regular Price: $20.00 US/$25.00 CAN Discounted Price: $15.00 US/$18.75 CAN
	Updated Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack Item # 138371 Regular Price: $8.00 US/$10.00 CAN Discounted Price: $6.00 US/$7.50 CAN
	Smoky Slate 5/8" Chevron Ribbon Item # 138403 Regular Price: $7.00 US/$8.75 CAN Discounted Price: $5.25 US/$6.56 CAN
	Fast Fuse Adhesive Refill Item # 129027 Regular Price: $7.50 US/$9.25 CAN Discounted Price: $5.25 US/$6.48 CAN
	Fun Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folders Item # 133727 Regular Price: $8.50 US/$10.50 CAN Discounted Price: $5.95 US/$7.35 CAN

Just Kidding...

I DID stamp (a teeny bit) this week, a super quick card! One more major event this past week (in case there wasn't enough going on) was that there is a teenager in my house now! So this got whipped up in the few minutes I had to spare between baking a cake and him getting home from the pool with friends! haha! Thank goodness for sketches! This time I used the latest from Mojo Monday!

Supplies:
Stamps: April 2015 Paper Pumpkin, March 2015 Paper Pumpkin
Ink: Cucumber Crush, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: Cucumber Crush, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White card stocks, Gold Glimmer DP
Accessories: Big Shot, Lucky Stars embossing folder, Stars dies

I also put together this digi-page in between things, but it took me like three days to get it done, haha. I used the inspiration from 1-2-3 Get Scrappy, and it's their last challenge.  I chose the column sparkle-gray background-banner. I was originally thinking some kind of slide show concept, but I started with finding pics of him and all of his birthday cakes and it was a little too distressing to see him grow up that fast just with these pictures, so I went for a collage page instead! haha...

...what do YOU think his favorite colors are? too obvious? hahaha.....
Finally, I did use Wild Wasabi card stock for his party invites, and then just the computer and a black sharpie, haha.... Very, very simple this year!

And that summarizes ALL my stamping this past week!
What did you do?

Stampin' Up!'s Weekly Deals!

Happy Tuesday to you! Let's see...my week started off with a little sicky, I have an extra kid, my niece, staying with us all week, and on Friday night we started tearing in to a bathroom that needed repaired and ended up deciding to redo just about every thing in there! Oh, and all the normal things that go on in the day to day.
...yeah I don't think I get to stamp this week. So for today I'll share the Weekly Deals, which are different every week, and posted every Tuesday.

	Handpicked Framelits Dies Item # 137361 Regular Price: $25.00 US/$31.00 CAN Discounted Price: $18.75 US/$23.25 CAN
	Everyday Chic Designer Washi Tape Item # 138385 Regular Price: $8.00 US/$10.00 CAN Discounted Price: $6.00 US/$7.50 CAN
	Cherry Cobbler Thick Baker's Twine Item # 138414 Regular Price: $3.50 US/$4.50 CAN Discounted Price: $2.63 US/$3.38 CAN
	Metal Rimmed Pearls Item # 138394 Regular Price: $5.00 US/$6.25 CAN Discounted Price: $3.50 US/$4.38 CAN
	Pretty Petals Designer Series Paper Stack Item # 138442 Regular Price: $8.00 US/$10.00 CAN Discounted Price: $5.60 US/$7.00 CAN
	Metallics Sequin Assortment Item # 138390 Regular Price: $5.00 US/$6.25 CAN Discounted Price: $3.50 US/$4.38 CAN
	Color Me Irresistible Specialty Designer Series Paper Item # 138439 Regular Price: $13.00 US/$16.00 CAN Discounted Price: $9.75 US/$12.00 CAN
	Go Wild Designer Series Paper Stack Item # 138441 Regular Price: $8.00 US/$10.00 CAN Discounted Price: $6.00 US/$7.50 CAN
	Gift Box Punch Board Item # 135863 Regular Price: $20.00 US/$25.00 CAN Discounted Price: $14.00 US/$17.50 CAN
	Calypso Coral Thick Baker's Twine Item # 138412 Regular Price: $3.50 US/$4.50 CAN Discounted Price: $2.63 US/$3.38 CAN

Bright Butterflies for a Birthday!

I happened to notice that I have a friend's birthday coming up (the part I always miss in sending cards is planning ahead). This person does things for my birthdays and my daughter's so I let my daughter choose the supplies. I told her to pick a stamp set and three colors of ink. Um, who needs a challenge site when you have a creative kid who likes things differently than you do? hahaha!! These are bright colors I would never have put together. She wanted these three butterflies, the hearts and that word stamp...HMMM. After a couple of tries I think I made it all work together with the latest Nacho Average Challenge sketch!

Supplies:
Stamps: Papillion Potpourri, Perfect Pennants
Ink: Calypso Coral, Pumpkin Pie, Cucumber Crush
Paper: Cucumber Crush, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White card stock, In Color Envelope Paper
Accessories: White Baker's Twine, Dimensionals

Paper Pumpkin Scrapping!

Yep, it's been a week since I posted, which means it was longer than that since I last stamped...hence the late post today!
I wanted to play with the latest Paper Pumpkin kit, and I wanted to make something else. The "it's your day" stamp kind of led the way and I have these pictures waiting from my daughter's birthday a few years ago so that was a perfect match! I used a sketch found HERE, and I also got to use a product my mom bought in the last catalog (which we still carry) that I haven't got to try out yet! I used the Hearts & Stars decorative masks to make the edge pieces, instead of some kind of paper. I just filled in some of the stars by scribbling with the pen side of the Bermuda Bay marker! Then I used the stamps and flower pieces from the Paper Pumpkin kit!
PS- This page is the second half of the pink layout in THIS post, haha....they don't coordinate but they both use Paper Pumpkin!

Supplies:
Stamps: June 2015 Paper Pumpkin Kit
Ink: Bermuda Bay marker, Tip Top Taupe, Calypso Coral
Paper: Whisper White, Pear Pizazz & Soft Sky card stocks
Accessories: June 2015 Paper Pumpkin Kit, Hearts & Stars decorative masks

Pink Birthday!

Today's card is what popped into my head when I was supposed to be thinking of summer cards for yesterday's blog hop, and this is the least summery thing I have made in over a week, haha! I had to make notes and put it off a day...which blocked all other creativity for a while! Does that ever happen to you?
I used the latest sketch from Retro Sketches to make this clean, understated little birthday card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Sprinkles of Life
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride
Paper: Blushing Bride, Chocolate Chip & Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: White Bakers Twine

Blog Hop: It's SUMMER!

Oh my goodness HOW is it July already?? I have no idea other than...it IS hot enough.....but wow, this summer is flying past! And since it's a new month, it's time for a new blog hop!!

This time we chose the theme of SUMMER, which really, all of my posts the last week or so feel like summer...and I keep mentioning that it really is HOT, haha! So let's continue that theme!

This card uses some bright, summer shades, a splash of watery blue and a good dirty brown shade! (actually, I got the color combo from the Nacho Average Challenge blog, but I thought it totally fit the summer theme!) I have never used this big butterfly before, so that was fun. Also stamping on the DP is a really fun thing for me, kinda takes 'coloring outside the lines' to a whole new level to color on the lines! haha!
This card proved nearly impossible to capture with a camera so you get several shots to see the details!

Supplies:
Stamps: Six Sided Sampler, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Tip Top Taupe
Paper: Watermelon Wonder card stock, In Color Envelope Paper
Accessories: In Color Blossom Accents, Butterflys Thinlits, Big Shot, Hexagon Punch (flagged end), Glue Dots

And this second card uses the latest sketch from Mojo Monday. This time the color scheme is much cooler. And apparently I think of butterflies when I think of summer because um........

Supplies:
Stamps: Kinda Eclectic
Ink: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Tip Top Taupe, Soft Sky
Paper: Old Olive, Soft Sky & Whisper White card stock, In Color Envelope Paper
Accessories: Subtles Candy Dots, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Dimensionals

Also, can I just mention the In Color Envelope Paper that I used on both cards? It's thinner than our other DP, which means you don't add weight or bulk to your creations, but you still get the fun prints! And at only $6.00 a package, it's a steal!

Now, go check out Cheryl's blog and hop all the way thru to see some awesome SUMMER inspiration!! And leave us your thoughts- we all love comments! *grin

Project Life mixed with Traditional!

Today is June 30th and this is my first layout for the month! aaahhh!!! Why, yes, I AM going thru withdrawals!
Seriously tho, last night I picked out some photos that go with my cute Project Life (PL) kit and used the supplies on a traditionally scrapbooked layout! Partly because they are for my son's book, and anything pre-2010 for him is in 8x11 albums...and yes, these pics are that old... and partly to show that you don't have to use the PL albums to use the supplies! Fun, huh??
I used the Let's Get Away Card Collection, the Let's Get Away Accessory Pack and the coordinating Let's Get Away stamp set, along with a little bit of card stock, and that's all it took! Oh, and a few Candy Dots too.

Supplies:
Stamps: Lets Get Away
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Crushed Curry, Memento Black, Bermuda Bay marker
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Basic Black card stocks
Accessories: PL Let's Get Away Card Collection, PL Let's Get Away Accessory Pack, Brights Candy Dots

And here's a bit of a close up of the stamps, journaling card and a cute sticker embellishment too!

The sticker letters for the title and all the embellishments, the journaling cards, and the stamps are all part of the complete kit! AND if you check page 85, you can get all three items for a bundled (discounted!) price!!
(psst...This Is The Life, Happy Times, Moments Like These and the Hello Baby PL products are also available in bundled prices!)

TGIF Throwdown!

Happy Friday!! My boys (husband and son) have been at scout camp all week and they come home this evening- us girls are pretty excited about that! We have missed them!

Today I tried a new-to-me challenge blog that really, is fairly new to the 'net. They started up in April and I follow some of the design team blogs so it's about time I play along! Their current Throwdown challenge appealed to me so that's where I began, and then I made this:

Supplies:
Stamps: Work of Art
Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Blushing Bride
Paper: Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Paper Doilies, White Baker's Twine, Butterfly Thinlits, Big Shot

This challenge works like the Food Network show Chopped. So from the Throwdown "basket" I used:
Butterfly Thinlits
Work of Art stamp set
Blushing Bride ink
Blackberry Bliss ink

And from the "pantry" I used:
White card stock
White Baker's Twine
Doilies
Big Shot
Paper Cutter
Clear Blocks

The butterfly was cut out of that layer of cardstock, then all the bits punched out. I stamped the large swish from the Work of Art stamp set in Blackberry Bliss ink on the card base, and just kept stamping off as I went across the paper! Then I used the skinny swish to add some Blushing Bride to his body, and laid the white butterfly on top. And I love how it turned out!! What do you think?

A Burst of Summer!

It is very warm around here now! Summer has so definitely arrived! We had a cold, rainy May and now it's just hot and dry. The news keeps saying it's at least 10* hotter than it should be so there you go. The heat is bleeding thru to my crafting because today I made a stack of cards that look a lot like summer to me! Lots of hot colors together and a big splash of white! So this:

became this! (along with the help of the June 3 sketch from Viva la Verve!)

Supplies:
Stamps:Let's Get Away
Ink: Calypso Coral
Paper: Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay card stocks
Accessories: Let's Get Away Project Life Accessory Pack (washi tape) Butterfly Thinlits, Arrows Embossing Folder, Regals Candy Dots, Big Shot, Dimensionals

And then I ran out of Crushed Curry Candy Dots so I used some white. What do you think? Which is your favorite?

I think it's a happy card and my daughter fell in love with it too, haha! Praise is always nice to hear!

Quick and Cute!

Since we just had Father's Day, my stash of masculine cards was diminished! I have seen this idea on Pinterest quite a lot lately so I thought I'd give it a try with some of my favorite images for masculine cards! And to keep it quick, I used last week's Freshly Made Sketch.

First up, this watery ship card! I stamped the larger swishy square in the two corners in Soft Sky, then I stamped the smallest swish in the new Mint Macaron- but I stamped that one off first! I was surprised how 'dark' it looked next to Soft Sky! Then I used a phrase from the Let's Get Away Project Life (PL) stamp set! I can't wait to put that set to more use very soon!

Supplies:
Stamps: Work of Art, The Open Sea, Let's Get Away
Ink: Memento Black, Soft Sky, Mint Macaron
Paper: Soft Sky, Mint Macaron & Whisper White card stocks
Accessories: Subtles Candy Dots

And how cute is that?! I loved it so much I tried again with a few more colors!

Supplies:
Stamps: Lovely As A Tree, Work of Art
Ink: Early Espresso, Old Olive, Delightful Dijon, Cajun Craze
Paper: Cajun Craze, Delightful Dijon, Whsiper White card stocks

So there you go- a fun, quick way to watercolor and add backgrounds to anything!