billy the hoppin' kid

Good Saturday morning everyone! I made this card some time ago, with Dani's second sketch challenge, and I forgot to show it to you.

Everyone...meet Billy. I just think Billy is the cutest thing! I got this image in an image swap that I did on my blog awhile back and Billy has been looking up at me all cute like since I got it. His cuteness deserves a clean and cute card so that is what I did. There really isn't much to say about the card as it is self explanatory but if you have any questions just send me an e-mail. Please I'll put the card deets at the bottom of the post.

I made something really neat last night but I can't show you until Wednesday...at least I think I'll wait until Wednesday (which is Belli Challenge day). If I can't wait that long 'cuz I'm too excited to show you then I'll just have to make something else and that wouldn't be so bad would it?

Alright, I'm off to gets from blurfing and commenting done before Kyler and I leave for the parade. Have a super Saturday everyone! Oh, and go check out my friend Cristina's blog candy. It is great candy for a great cause!

Card deets:
Stamps: Billy (Pink Cat Studios)
Ink: ??? but it worked well with my COPICS
Cardstock: PTI White, Pacific Point, Basic Grey Cupcake, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Basic Grey Cupcake Brads, Distresser Tool (for edges), Dimensionals, Cuttlebug w/Frills embossing strip, COPICS

top note

Good morning stampers! Want to know what a top note is? Well, it is the die shape that I used on this card. Isn't it neat? Have I said that I love my Big Shot? I really like that it is wider than my Cuttlebug and therefore can use dies and paper wider too. Kinda neato!

This card came about because of this week's CPS sketch. I like the sketch a lot and thought I'd try it. I started off by stamping the flowers you see on a different piece of paper and using the paper that came on the sticky side of the foam to shade the background of the flower a little and then cut them out. I liked it but didn't love it. So...I added some flowers on the white cardstock and then tried to place the cut out flowers on top...yeah, no...that didn't work either so I just added a couple of more to what I had already stamped on the cardstock and...this is what you get. The white seemed too white so I used my air thingy (great technical term) and my Chocolate Chip marker to splatter the background a little. You can enlarge the photo's now to see more detail if you'd like...just don't look to close, k?! This stamp set is one of Stampin' Up!'s new level one hostess sets called (crazy enough...lol) "Live Like You Mean It." I do really like the sentiment as it says the same to me as living intentionally which is something I try to do.

Thank you for the well wishes for fun at the fair. Kyler did have a great time and for Todd and I it is like a friend reunion as you see so many people you know! I met the new police officer for the high school last night. It was nice to put a face with a name and he seems like a really nice guy (and good police officer) so hopefully that arrangement will go well for everyone!

This morning Kyler and I are heading off to help decorate the float that the Christian school will have in the parade this year. I think Kyler will be walking along with the float too so that will be fun too and if they ask I will probably walk with it too. The parade is tomorrow so we'll see how much work there is to be done.

Alright...enough chatter from me! Have a super

birthday...box in a bag gift

You have seen them around blogland and I have jumped on the band wagon and made a box in a bag. Todd and I are going to my friend's 40th birthday party tomorrow night and although the invitation said no gifts I just couldn't go empty handed so...a handmade gift.

For this Birthday...Box in a Bag gift I, again, used the Bella Rose DSP from Stampin' Up! along with the Dreams du Jour stamp set. I got the box in a bag template from HERE. I made the cards really simply so it didn't take me too long. I also got to use my Big Shot for the envelope and flowers on the front. I still love that Big Shot! I think everything is pretty self explanatory but if you have any questions just shoot me an e-mail!

Today is a busy day for us as we'll be at the fair most of the day today. Oh, and guess what? Kyler and I went to get our exhibitor bracelets at the fairgrounds today and decided to check in on our entries...we both got blue ribbons on BOTH of the things we entered. Go, us! LOL!! Kyler was SO excited though. One thing we've learned about going to the fair with Kyler is that we take a friend for him to ride the rides with and have fun with so...Chris is on his way! Woohoo! Watch out fair food...here I come!

Oh, and girls...do you like blog candy? Do you like blog candy to the tune of $200? Well, go HERE and check it out!

I hope that you have a super Thursday and get lots of stamping done! See you tomorrow!

belli challenge 31

Good morning everyone! Today is Belli Challenge day and I've skated in just under the rule guidelines for my submission. What is normally something very easy for me to do became more difficult when I chose the boy in this set to use for the challenge today. Today's challenge is baubles and bling and as a special treat we got to use an image from our very own Chris Dickinson's newly design stamp set called Child of God. This set is SO cute (from what I can tell from the few images that I received )! Can you see why I had a little bit of a problem with baubles and bling on this card? Well, I did find some rhinestones in just the right color and used them in the corner of my patterned paper. Yay, me! LOL! I have also heard through the grapevine (okay Chris herself! LOL!) that Chris has a second set that she will be debuting on Sept 1 through Sweet N Sassy Stamps as well. Exciting!

Onto the deets of the Belli Challenge. Each week, Chris tries to give us a challenge that will get us using things we have lying around our stamp rooms! With a constant flow of new things coming out, we tend to forget about the other things we have and they quickly become clutter! Come join us in the Belli Challenge and be sure to post your link to Chris's website!

This Weeks Belli Challenge is baubles and bling! You don't have to think just sparkle. Think hardware, clips, or anything that gives your card/project a little extra zing! Don't forget to link your card to Chris's blog (see above or below links) for a chance to win a pack of patterned paper from her! And here are the rest of the players for this week...

Rochelle Wick
Holly Brown
Chris Dickinson
Christi Thorsen
Ceal Pritchett
Shelly Koskinen
Laurie Serino

Have fun perusing those blogs...there is some great stuff that these ladies have designed! Tomorrow or Friday I'll be able to share with you the birthday gift I am making for my friend's party on Friday night. It is coming along well so far and I've gotten to use my Big Shot with it so that has been fun too!

See you tomorrow everyone!

Card Deets:
Stamps: Child of God
Ink: Stazon, Distress Ink in Antique Linen
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi, Lemon Tart, Real Red, Whisper White
Accessories: Grosgrain Ribbon, Rhinestones, Pop Dots, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, COPICS (which I shouldn't have used as I smudged the black darn it!)

created by courtney challenge

Good morning stampers! Today is Created by Courtney Challenge #2 day. We have decided to do these challenges on Tuesdays rather than Fridays to give you guys the optimum time to participate as we all know how busy the weekends are!

This week's challenge is to make a 3"x6" card. Any stamps, any layout as long as it fits within the guidelines of the 3"x6" card. Remember to make a card and post a link to Courtney's blog HERE so you can be in the running for a prize from her! Want to see what the other challenge chicks have made? They are linked up below...

Courtney
Sparkle
Sarah
Dani

I have to say that I really enjoyed making this card and it just sort of fell together. It is happy, bright, and just perfect for my friend's birthday on Friday! Woohoo!

I did get my Big Shot yesterday and it is a wonderful tool! I have a Cuttlebug too but I do have to say that the Big Shot will be all that I use from now on. It is easy to use, has a more even "smooshing" ability which means my embossing is much more even. I will be letting my Cuttlebug go.

Tomorrow is Belli Challenge day! I will be posting the card that I made for the Belli Challenge but at this point it doesn't really fit all the requirements...darn it! It is a cute card though and I think you guys will like it.

Have a super day...I get to go to Yakima today to the "real" scrapbook store! Woohoo!

Card Deets:
Stamps: Unity Cupcake
Ink: Palette Burnt Umber, Tangerine Tango, White Craft
Cardstock: PTI White, Chocolate Chip, DSP Hawaii Papaya, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: White Taffeta Ribbon, Spica Green Pen, A Perfect Day rub-ons, Close To Cocoa Marker, Aqua painter (frosting), Nestibilities

remember

Good morning my stamping friends! Yep, that is what I look like in the morning 'til I've had my coffee. Poor Todd, huh? LOL!

The card today is the one that I told you about yesterday that I made and it turned out too feminine. I love the sentiment on this card (true strength is delicate) and thought it would be perfect for the person I was sending it to. Anyway, this is a Mojo Monday sketch again. Julee sure has had some great sketches! The stamp set is Lisa Johnson's newest set from PTI called Remember. I bought it not knowing if I would really use it as sometimes those sets are overwhelming for me but I like this card. I fell back on the Bella Rose DSP for this card. The colors lend themselves perfectly to the poppy's in this stamp set. I hope you like it too!

Busy week ahead for me. Monday's are always busy and today is no exception. Tomorrow, stamping wise, is the Created by Courtney Challenge so stay tuned for that. Wednesday is Belli Challenge day and Thursday...well I don't know about my blog but Thursday is our big day to go and play at the fair. Soooo....busy week!

Coming up...back to school as school starts here Sept 4th and we have "orientation" for Kyler's school Sept 3rd. I've been reading about everyone's thoughts and feelings about sending their kids back to school with the knowledge that I had at least a couple of weeks to still have my kids home and now...it is coming up quick. I'm not excited for them to go back to school but it is that time and both Jon and Kyler are exactly where they should be so...back to school they go! Oh, I just found the most ADORABLE pattern for a back to school cutie for teachers, kids, or other parents that I hope to show you soon!

Oh, and look at THIS great award that Chris gave me! I'm just so honored!

Okay, sorry...once I get going...I just can't stop talking...sad but true! I hope you have a super Monday! Make it a great one and do some crafting!

light of the world

Okay, so this is the card I almost quit stamping over. Yep, that is right...almost quit. So here is what I'm going to suggest...tell me you like it whether or not you do. No...I'm just kidding tell me you like it if you do. It is aways okay to be honest. But, wow! I struggled with this one! I was making a card for a guy and the first one turned out to feminine...annoying, right? Then this one...this one kept alluding me as to what I should do with it. I used a Mojo Monday challenge for the layout. It is hard to see in this photo but there is blue in the patterned paper. Ack! Do you feel my frustration coming through the post? So, should I go back to the drawing board? ***I totally forgot to tell you that the light house is from the Light of the World set from Our Daily Bread Designs***

Tomorrow I get my 2nd Stampin' Up! order and with it I will be receiving the new Big Shot. The Big Shot is a embossing/cutting machine similar to but larger than the Cuttlebug. It will be available for purchase Sept 2nd and you can see a brochure about the Big Shot and accessories HERE. I had been considering a bigger embossing cutting machine for sometime before this came out so I knew I had to have it when SU! announced at convention that they would be carrying their own SU! branded version of the Big Shot (which is the same a the others on the market only with the SU! logo). Cool thing is that SU! will have dies that are exclusive to SU! Yep, you'll only be able to get some dies from SU! so keep your eyes open! More about this machine later...I'm sure!

Alright, ladies. I hope you have a super Sunday! Get lots of stamping done...I know I have about three birthday cards to make!