check out this blog candy ...

http://jacqui47.blogspot.com/

you're gonna want to win :) you have until august 2nd to jump in!



best wishes,

A Gazillion Cards for Gugger

Gugger, my Grandmother, recently sent me a not so cute birthday card and apologized for not having pretty cards to send -- you see, she is 86 years old and has vision problems so doesn't drive anymore. So, I am sure this was not a hint, or anything, but I have decided to make her a stash of pretty cards that she can send when she needs one. She won't have to wait for someone to take her to the store and then try to figure out with her limited vision which is appropriate. And its been raining all the live long day so I, still in my pjs at almost 6pm, have been in my basement parked at my craft table the entire day! HEAVEN!!

So here are the cards I have made:

My Gugger lives in Florida and although never goes to the beach, I thought this would be nice for her to give out.




All the above are birthday cards. She has a daughter and two sons, 13 grandchildren, and 18 great grandchildren plus a ton of friends :)


She also loves to cook and is famous for her home baked bread and apple pies. So these two are "just because" cards and I left them blank inside.

And this last card is my submission for Heather's "Good-bye Challenge" -- check her blog out here (its great!!): http://hksginger.blogspot.com/

Okay, I need to give my kidlets some attention and get started on dinner for my husband, who is on his way home now. I will post again tomorrow or very soon!

Happy Creating!

Okay, here's another chance to win a free card :)

Check out this awesome blog

http://hogwildaboutstamping.blogspot.com/

... she is giving away a free card and we have until Noon on Thursday, July 31st! I want to win but I will let you in on the secret, too :) Hey, maybe if you win you could send it to me!!!!








ps ... she gives a free card away EVERY wednesday ... bookmark her :)

Win a Free Card!! -- Opps, a day late! Sorry!

Yea, its rainy today in STL so I am off in my PJs to craft all day :) woo hoo! I will post some of my creations tonight or tomorrow morning so be sure to check back!

Meanwhile, I am a member of the Etsy Greeting Team to help promote my Etsy Store (http://www.creationsbyseastar.etsy.com/) and to help others who handcraft cards and stationary be successful, too! So, on our blog today you can leave a comment and potentially win a free birthday card that is super cute.

You can click on the EtsyGreeting banner on my sidebar or follow the link here (and favorite it so you can visit often):

http://www.etsygreetings.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your support ... GO HANDMADE!






PS -- Opps, I posted this a day late but visiting will give you a taste of the other stores on Etsy and we do offer free prizes frequently so please check back! I feel bad ... maybe I will offer some BLOG CANDY to make it up to you all ... keep watching ;)

Success!

I have mastered the wine tote! I wasn't feeling very optimistic after my first try to alter this thingy but after some risky and destructive moves I have come up with something that I love :) There is only one thing I would do differently on the next one but I am not going to tell you what that is :) Hee hee! This is for a housewarming present for the friend I mentioned in my last post.

I also finished her card. I found this sketch in an old SU! Idea Book which was kind of fun. I think it was actually a scrapbook page but it just jumped out at me. I also love the Bali Breeze paper so use that a lot ... and I have a lot of little scraps of that I can't part with so those come in handy for the photo corners punch. I have also made a point of using my hodgepodge kits. I am just waiting for some new finishes to come out in the next catalog so better make room! I am also trying to use old In Colors that I was hoarding. Again, I think I am going to be in love with the new ones so need to make some more room. So I used Marigold Morning on her card and paired that with Close to Cocoa - I like this color combo a lot :)

I also had picked up some stuff at the dollar bin my last trip to Joann's that I have been meaning to do something with. So, here is a coupon booklet that I thought turned out pretty cute. I totally screwed up the first attempt so need to figure out how to fix that one. This was was stamped with some foam stamps from Archivers using Stazon ink. The purse and cell phone were block foam stamps from Michael's and used up some spare ribbon. If I can "fix" the boo boo on the other one I have I think I might make it a photo booklet for scrapbooking.

I am scrapbooking with friends today and also have some album type projects to work on for Pixie Posie - the photography company of my friend, Jennifer! She takes the most adorable candid shots of kids that you will ever see ... check her out here: Pixie Posie

Catch you all later :) Have a blessed Sunday and be creative!

Happy Birthday to Me :)

Yep, its my birthday today and I am admitting it! I have come a long way in the year. Last year's birthday had me in tears. Today I am thankful for another year and decided to grin and bear it! My brother and I have decided that we are 20 somethings this year so that made it even easier ;)

I have treated myself this week to some quality stamp time down in my craft room. Here is what I have come up with:

A friend has just recently purchased a house and here is part of a housewarming gift. I also have a wine tote that I'd like to alter but am having some challenges with that. I will keep you posted on my progress on that. I am not so optimistic, unfortunately.

I also made a few cards for my ETSY store (stop by ... give me feedback, buy something!!):

I also finished my swap card ... and maybe I should keep it a secret, but we are swapping on Sunday so I am going to go ahead and post a *version* of it.

Thanks for looking! We are going out to dinner and to the Cardinals game with OUT kids tonight so I won't be stamping or crafting again until Friday evening, probably! Hope you have a wonderful crafty day!

Kids, Kids, Kids ....

Oh, my gosh, I am on serious KID OVERLOAD today!!!! I have my neices so four running around terrorizing my poor puppy is just TOO MUCH TODAY! They all look so innocent, huh??

Anyway ... :( .... it is so hot here, also (probaby making me even more crabby!) so I have been trying to spend some time in my cool basement which is where my craft area is located. My sister and stampin' pal has been in a funk lately so I made her this coffee can full of some stuff to help get her in the mood and reenergized! I wasn't sure what this would look like altered but in the end of I loved it. And she was excited to get it, too! My hubby drinks A LOT of coffee so I have a few of these to alter. I don't drink coffee, myself, but love the smell so I am hoping that the faint yummy smell of coffee might also motivate the receipent! hee hee!

Because of the craziness which is my life today I am going to keep this short! Hope you are having a calm and peaceful day ... if you are a praying kind of person, please say one for me -- I need some patience today!

School Starts!

Hello! We are in a year round school district so yesterday, July 17th, was my kids' first day of school. And my brother's birthday, HAPPY 23rd (hee hee, if he WERE 23, I'd only be 28 which works fine for me) KEVIN!

Teagan and Kammy were both so excited, and because neither one of them have the tiniest bit of shyness in them, it was an easy day. I didn't even cry ... which makes me feel a little guilty, because I bawled my eyes out on Teagan's first day (and second, too). I promise, I love Kamryn just as much but I am very much looking forward to two mornings a week to myself! Here are a couple cute pictures of them getting ready for school.

Although, I didn't get to stamp while they were at school, I did get to go to the grocery store by myself. I spent the most of the morning at the school so it was a rushed trip and very crowded so I can't say I enjoyed myself but its done. And that also means I can get back on Weight Watchers 100% -- the last two weekends at weddings and traveling and then coming back to Old Mother Hubbard's empty cupboards has been rough!! Today is a new day :)

I have been stamping and being creative a lot in the evenings, though! Here are some samples of what I have been up to:

The top cards are made with the new punch I got 50% off at For All Seasons and a hostess set I didn't think I liked. Check out A Little Bit of Happiness in the current Idea Book. I got it in my last order because I already own all the other level 1 hostess sets -- I didn't think I'd love it but as soon as I saw it these cards popped into my head. I think I might bundle them for a gift.

My friend Cheryl is about to have her second baby and called me yesterday with some labor related questions because she just wasn't sure if she was IN labor or not. So, to be prepared I made this card for her. She isn't sure if its a boy or girl so I tried to make it neutral.


And Tim's Grandfather is turning 90 next week. He's never met our children so we wanted to send him some pictures along with a birthday greeting. This card opens up like a gate and has two side pockets where you can tuck pictures or notes.





And my Godson, Daniel's birthday is also in July. I am still working on getting his present together but the card is made. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE sock monkeys and have had one of my own since I was 6 months old. He went everywhere with me, including college, grad school, and to the hospital when both my kids were born! So, this is an ode to "Honkey". He was a little time consuming because I paper peiced a lot of him but in the end it was well worth the effort. I can see my using this set A LOT. My friends and family might sick of seeing him ;)


I have also done some scrapbook organizing -- have finally titled and journaled on some of the pages that I have recently done and got them in the appropriate albums. YEA! I was up until 11:15pm -- very late for me -- doing that.

Be Creative Today!

Blog Candy From White Ribbon Cards :)

One of the fabulous SBS18 gals has a birthday coming up and she is offering blog candy to celebrate :) Check out her out here:

http://www.whiteribboncards.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Susie :)

Emerging Colors Technique

My Mom's birthday was on July 8th and I was able to hand deliver her card, a bit late ... but seeing her in person is rare so this was especially nice :) I love this card! It is so super cute and the technique is easy but would look so different and beautiful depending on the paper and ink that you chose. Try it! There is a link to the SCS description of the technique in my previous post, but I will tell you how I did it.

I chose Bali Breeze DS paper which I love for its bright colors and bold design. I cut it to fit my square card -- just in a square mood, plus, thought I'd be able to include a larger piece of the DS paper on this shaped card. I used Ginormous Flowers set (which I just got) and stamped a few of the flowers using my versamark pad. I embossed those with crystal clear embossing powder. Then I took my brayer and chose a color from the DS paper -- Tempting Turquoise. I brayered all over the DS paper with that. As you can tell some of the colors changed, some were covered up and some still popped through. Then I took a paper towel and rubbed off the ink from the embossed flowers which really made them POP out so pretty! Voila! I embellished with some turquoise brads and added a few of the Build-A-Brads punched with another piece of paper from that same pack. I love those brads and hope they stay in the next catalog!

Remember the Retired Accessories list comes out in a couple days -- July 15th. If you are on the Stampin' Sisters email list you will get it that way, otherwise, check the SU! website for a peek at it. The accessories tend to go quickly so if you see something you like grab your nearest demo and place your order!!

I received a catalog -- my first ever -- for The Angel Company! I love it :) Thanks, Bridgett! I have a long wish list and shared it with my sister and of course she has one, too. So, maybe we will get an order together so we can try these super cute stamps for ourselves.

And lastly, I was able to preorder the new IN COLORS and a stamp set. I hope to play with this some today/tonight. We still have swim lessons and tonight is our second (but really first cause of the thunderstorm) night of T-Ball. Hopefully after a long day and four kids I will have energy to stamp :) Here is a peak at the in colors:

Pink Pirouette - a very light, soft pink

Pacific Point - think denim colored

Riding Hood Red - deep red, similar to cranberry crisp, i think

Kiwi Kiss - not as bright green as a real kiwi, sort of reminds me of river rock, actually

Baja Breeze - pretty light blue with a tinge of gray

Tangerine Tango - a fun color unlike any we have seen - orangy like a tangerine, go figure!

Catch ya later! Happy Stampin'!

Christmas In July

Morning! It has been a super busy week for us. The kids are in swim lessons which has been lots of fun but pretty much blows my mornings. How can a half hour lesson blow an entire morning?? Not sure, but it has everyday this week! And we have had something every evening this week, too. I guess this is a preview of times to come as my kidlets get older. Teagan started Tball last night. We only got about 20-30 minutes in before we had a wicked storm. He was disappointed but DQ afterwards helped cheer him up. Gotta love a Blizzard in a thunderstorm!

Well, I did get to make two cards yesterday but I can only show one. The other is for my Mom's birthday and since I know she checks out my blog I can't post it yet. It is really cool, though, so early next week, I will post it. I tried a new and super easy technique that I know you will love. Its called Emerging Colors and I used Designer Series paper. Check out the tutorial here:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ee/index.php/resources/tutorials/emerging_color/

My second card evolved into a Chistmas card -- the first of 2008. It started out as a potential wedding card and then I kept playing with it and playing with it. Below is what it turned out to be :) I think I fixed the problem of not being able to click and see the pictures larger thanks to some blogging friends on SCS. Try them out and forgive my lack of photography skills -- some are blurry especially large!

And I got together with some friends this weekend to scrapbook. I got a few pages "almost" done -- you know me ... need to title and journal :) Here is a peek at those! I found a cute little punch in Mike's clearance for $1.50 -- there is a close up of that ... it looks like a little paper buckle! Adorable :) On the "dressing up with Nana" page I used my 1" circle punch all the way around the paper to make it look like a stamp. I thought that turned out cute, too! The pages of Kammy's 3rd birthday are quite crowded so I may end up starting those all over again. I like the colors but it might be too much. I don't love it. Feel free to make suggestions -- I like the feedback, really! The Cutie Pie page turned out simple and cute, I thought. I used more of my felt pieces. I love those but don't want to overwhelm my books with them. I might add some of those to the next blog candy I give out. I have so many I need to share! Can you even believe the baby in the Cutie Pie page is the same in the 3rd birthday party page?? She looks so different and BIG :( In a few weeks, I will be doing her first day of preschool page!!! I might cry! Boo Hoo!

I hope to post again before we leave for my cousin's wedding in Pittsburgh this weekend. Happy creating in your inspiring corner of the world :)