TECC22 & a baptism card

This first card was made for our God Daughter, Reagan. We are going to her birthday party today as well as celebrating her brother's baptism (see card below). I used Taylor's Cupcake Challenge for the layout or Reagan's card. I loved Taylor's sample card, so it's pretty much a CASE. This was my first attempt at an awning card and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I used dimensionals under both layers of the awning to pop it out a bit. I masked the cupcakes and used just two since it's Reagan's 2nd birthday.

Stamps: cupcake (Michaels $1), just for you (michaels $1 acrylic)
Card Stock: Whisper White (SU)
Patterned Paper: all other paper from Urban Oasis Paper Stack from ATD
Ink: Basic Black, Green Galore, other bold bright stampin' spots used with aqua painter to color the cupcakes
Accessories: coluzzle, circle punch, aquapainter, pastel pink grosgrain ribbon (offray), pinking sheers, dimensionals.

This card is for Braden's baptism. I used a masking technique on this one as well. I cut out the shapes with my new Coluzzle, adhered a cross shape and sponged ink all over the oval. Remove the cross and voila! The hardest part was getting Braden's name to line up perfectly.

Stamps: Swirls (Autumn Leaves), Acrylic Alphabet Stamps (Studio G- Michaels $1)
Card Stock: Whisper White, Buckaroo Blue (SU)
Ink: Night of Navy (SU)
Accessories: Silver Brads, Flower Punch (EK Success), Sponge, Coluzzle, Cross Template

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LSC174 & This is my 100th blog entry!

TGIF! What a great day it's been so far. Halle and I made this card this morning for today's Limited Supply Challenge at SCS. Halle loves to help me make cards. We got some good quality time in today. The challenge was to use brads in your stamped image and no other embellishments. I used two brads for the center of each butterfly. It's really easy to make your butterflies 3D and stay that way. When you are opening up the brads on the back of the butterfly, don't just push them so they are flat with the paper, but over-extend them.
I'm so excited to be going on a date with my Hubby tonight. We are going out to dinner and then to see a movie, The Happening, we think. I'll let you know tomorrow if the movie is any good. Take care!

Stamps: Butterfly Kisses (Papertrey Ink)
Card Stock: Chocolate Chip (SU)
Patterned Paper: ATD paper stack Urban Oasis
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pixie Pink (SU)
Accessories: silver brads, 1/2 inch circle punch, rub-on (Kelly Panacci)

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SC182

Hello again! I've been working on this card all afternoon. It shouldn't have taken me that long, but kids will be kids. Anywho, this card is for today's sketch challenge at Splitcoast. I actually had the card the sketch was based on already saved in my favorites to CASE one of these days. Finished Size: 5x5.

Stamps: Warm Words (SU)
Card Stock: Basic Black (SU)
Patterned Paper: Follow The Leader (American Crafts- Play)
Ink: Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: White Gelly Roll Pen, Square Punch, Flowers (Darice), Silver Brads

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Exciting News & Some Zoo Pics

As you can probably tell from the picture above, someone in the Steffen family is pregnant! It's my brother Dan and his wife Amber!!!! I'm so happy for you guys!!! Isn't this card cute? I love how personal it is. This is a CASE from traceteach at SCS. Click here to see her card. I printed "1+1=3" and "The Steffen Family" off the computer. Amber is due in early February. I can't wait!

We took a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo last week to see the new giraffes. The exhibit just opened this month.
Halle & Colin love visiting the zoo.

Have a great day!

Stamps: All in the family (SU)
Card Stock: Mat Stack from DCWV
Ink: Basic Black (SU)
Accessories: watercolor pencils, computer, printer, square punch

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Simpy Scraps

Here's a basic card I made this morning using only scraps. I've been using a lot of black accents lately. If I had some black brads (can't find them anywhere) I would definitely put a row of three somewhere on this card.

Stamps: Snowflake Spot (SU)
Card Stock: Mint Green (?), Basic Black (SU)
Patterned Paper: ATD paper stack (Urban Oasis)
Ink: Basic Black (SU)
Accessories: Ribbon (Dashes, Dots, and Checks- Michaels)

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SC181- A Kristina Inspired Sketch!

Hey all! Today's sketch challenge at Splitcoast was inspired by Kristina Werner! She is my card stampin' hero. I hope my card does her proud. Halle and I watch Kristina's Make-A-Card-Monday video every week. My card layers look a little wonky, but I swear it's just the angle. It looks totally fine IRL. I've been really into black lately. It's the perfect accent for any card. Just try and prove me wrong {giggle}.

Stamps: Flower Trio (Autumn Leaves- Rhonna Farrer)
Card Stock: Basic Black (SU)
Patterned Paper: All other paper is from Urban Oasis Paper Stack (ATD)
Ink: Basic Black (SU)
Accessories: Black and White Ribbon (Dashes, Dots, and Checks- Michaels), Clear Rhinestones (Icons- Me and My Big Ideas)

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I have a dream...

...yes, that's the best title I could come up with. Pathetic, I know. I am really excited about this card because while making it, I discovered that all the stamps from "A is for Adorable" by SU, fit perfectly inside this stamp-shaped die cut that came with my Cuttlebug! Perfect. I made this card last Saturday at my SIL's house. I brought a paper stack and lots of white paper. This card has a lot of white and I'm not sure how I feel about that. The scallops are made by using a 1/2 inch circle punch. The edges are also inked with Chocolate Chip.

Stamps: A is for Adorable (SU)
Card Stock: Whisper White and Chocolate Chip (SU)
Patterned Paper: ATD- Urban Oasis Paper Stack (polka dots and pink)
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Stamp-shaped die cut, Cuttlebug, Brown Satin Ribbon (Offray), 1/2 inch circle punch

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TECC#20

I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day with your loved ones. I know I did. My hubby really liked his card, which says a lot. He doesn't usually care much about cards.

Back to business! The card above was made for Taylor's Cupcake Challenge. Taylor posts a sketch on her blog every Friday. You have until Monday morning to post your card (yes, I'm cutting it close here!). Taylor always gives out a cool prize to a random participant. Added bonus! I did struggle with this card. There were so many layers and I tried to follow the sketch exactly. I little busy, I would say. Still, I think someone would like to receive it. I really like how the ribbon goes through the card.

Card Stock: Pale Plum (SU)
Patterned Paper: all other paper from Cardstock Pad (ATD- Urban Oasis)
Accessories: Light Pink Grosgrain Ribbon (Offray), 1/4 inch circle punch for ribbon

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New Weekend Challenge Blog!

Wow, two posts in one day! I'm on a roll. There's a brand spankin' new blog called Our Creative Corner that will be issuing a new challenge every Saturday. Today was a sketch challenge. Thought I would play along. Have a great weekend!

Card Stock: Whisper White (SU)
Patterned Paper: All other paper from ATD- Urban Oasis
Accessories: Jumbo Brad, small brads and flower (Making Memories), Ribbon (Offray)

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Weekend Sketch Challenge

My local Meijer store just redesigned their scrapbooking aisle and they now carry Autumn Leaves stamps. They have individual stamps for $1. The stamp you see above is called "flower trio". I knew that I wanted to do a black, white, and red card as soon as I laid eyes on this stamp. I already had the layout in mind using Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge, so it came together pretty easily and fast. The flowers are "popped up" on dimensionals for a 3D look. I don't that shows up well in the picture. I love when that happens! I also used a cuttlebug folder!

Stamps: Flower Trio (Autumn Leaves)
Card Stock: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black (SU)
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red (SU)
Accessories: Cuttlebug Folder, Ribbon (Offray), scissors, dimensionals

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Three Father's Day Cards!

Yesterday I found an oragami-like shirt pattern that I thought would be perfect for Father's Day cards. Obviously it was really easy and fun that I made three! Here is a very clear tutorial that I used. I don't like to go "all-out" on cards for guys because I don't think they appreciate it as much. At least the guys I know. The card above is my favorite. It's for my hubby. He's a sports nut. I got my inspiration from this card. I tried to make the shirt look more like a polo shirt. The card base is Garden Green (SU).

This card is for my Dad. The shirt was folded from a piece of 8.5x11 paper. The shirt is mounted on a 5x5 cardstock of Close to Cocoa (SU). If you know my Dad, you know that he will not wear a shirt without a pocket.

This card is for my Father-in-law. I like the added details of the buttons (brads). The card base is Buckaroo Blue (SU). The Father's Day sentiment on all the cards comes from All-Around Argyle from SU.

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Excuses, excuses...

Boy have I had a crappy week (or week and a half). My dr. is doing the old switch-a-roo on my meds and I've been having a lot of withrawl symptoms. My poor kids! Our house is a mess, their Mom is cranky (and dizzy, and tired), and whatever time I do feel "okay" is used to straighten the house or make dinner.

I did stumble upon this really cool tutorial that I am going to use to make some Father's Day cards. Scott will be gone all of tomorrow night. I have the Tivo loaded with girly shows and I can work uninterrupted for as long as I want (well, after the kids go to bed!). I'm hoping to crank out some cards!!!

Also, one of my favorite shows starts up again tonight. Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-list. You either love her or hate her, but I totally LOVE her! Tonight on BRAVO!

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Girls Night In

Happy Sunday! Last night we had a girls scrapping night at my SIL Carrie's house. It was so much fun and I stayed there sooo late! It was so nice to be out with other adults, I can't even begin to tell you how much I needed that. I really did get a lot done, but most of it was for the card shown above. I am making 40 (yes, 40!) Thank You cards to give my uncle as a retirement gift. It's pretty tricky making a masculine card. It needs to by clean and simple. It also needed to be super easy since I need to make 40. BTW, his last name starts with an "H". Most of last night was spent cutting and punching. I did get to play a little with my new Cuttlebug (!!!!) and make one more card I will post later this week.


In a weird twist of fate, this card matches Taylor's Cupcake Challenge for this weekend. I've had this card planned for weeks, so it really was an amazing coincidence. The "H" came from a sheet of stickers from my local $1 store!!! But, they weren't $1, but 4 for $1. AND each sheet had about 50 stickers on it. I'm definitely going back to get more.Here's a pic of the madness from last night. Thanks Carrie for being such a great hostess! I enjoyed every second of it!

Card Stock: Whisper White & Basic Black (SU)
Patterned Paper: Black and White Stripes (DCWV)
Accessories: Circle Punches, H Stickers (Bellisimo)

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Less really is more...

I am totally one of those "less is more" kind of people. That explains why I am completely in love with this card. Some may think it's boring, but I think it elegant. I used the scorer on my paper trimmer to "emboss" the two lines above and below the ribbon. I also inked the edges if you can't see it in the picture.

OMG! I almost forgot to share my BIG news! I bought a Cuttlebug today! After throwing a small fit with the manager, he let me use my 40% off coupon. Unfortunately I have to go clean the house right now, so you probably won't see any "cuttled" creations until tomorrow. I bought so much cool stuff! I can't wait to get to play. Have a great weekend!



Stamps: Mixed Messages (PTI)
Card Stock: Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Close to Cocoa (SU)
Accessories: Brown Ribbon (Dashes, Dots, and Checks)

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SC179 Happy 50th Birthday!

We are going to a SURPRISE birthday party for Scott's uncle tonight, so I needed to make a 50th birthday card. The layout for this card came from today's Sketch Challenge that you can find here. I also took a close-up so you can see the dimension in the card. I think it's pretty masculine even though it has a flower and swirls.

Oh yeah, I'm also baking 12 loaves of beer bread today!!! So yummy, but it's so time consuming. Luckily I'm baking them 4 at a time. They are for a Quarter Auction I'm in tomorrow night since I'm a Tastefully Simple consultant. They are so much fun!

Stamps: Swirls (Autumn Leaves)
Card Stock: Whisper White (SU)
Patterned Paper: All blue paper from Making Memories- In Bloom Embellishment Paper
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Scallop Punch, foam tape, Felt Numbers (American Crafts), Paper Piercer, White Gelly Roll Pen, White Flower (Queen & Co)

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Simple & Sweet

I'm easing myself back into stamping. I started out with something very simple. It is a CASE of this card by Dawn McVey.

Stamps: Butterfly Kisses (PTI)
Card Stock: Whisper White (SU)
Patterned Paper: Blue Swirls & Solid Blue (Me & My Big Ideas- Modern Milan Paper Stack)
Ink: Brilliant Blue (SU)
Accessories: Silver Brads

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Our weekend in pictures...

Hi everyone! We've been really busy lately and I haven't had much time to play with my paper crafts. When the kids were in school, I had the perfect schedule for making cards. I would check the challenge on SCS first thing and think about and plan my card in my head while I took the kids to school. Since I did all that planning, the card would only take me about 20 minutes. Now that school is out, I have no plan. I've been squeezing in some scrapping whenever I can. Please bear with me while I try to get a schedule sorted out. Anyway, we had a busy and super fun weekend and here are some pictures. Sorry there are so many {proud Mommy here!}.

We went to the Red's game on Friday night. This was the kids first "real" Red's game.

They were infants at their first game.
Halle & Colin enjoyed "Run it Out" the most.

And the playground in the Kids Zone.

I made this cute ponytail holder for Halle on Saturday with some hand-me-down shirts I cut up. This was super easy. I can post a tutorial if anyone wants it.

Halle riding her bike.

Colin got the bike as a Christmas present. He fell the first time he tried to

ride it on Christmas day and hasn't ridden it since. I bribed him

with Strawberry Shortcake for dessert yesterday. It worked!

Our landscaping is finally done! Scott did a great job!

Our new pet, Mickey. He is currently MIA.

Halle trying to climb a tree that is NOT a climbing tree.

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