5 Stamps Challenge and Sweet Color Comb

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? Today's 365 Cards challenge, #237 Friday Five, is to use exactly five stamps on your card. Mine is obviously modeled after the sample card there, but I just couldn't resist!

My color palette is totally stolen from Stacy Julian's I Love Color post today, Sweet. I used (from left to right on her palette) Blush, Pansy Purple, Orange, and Hollyhock.

My second card uses the same circle stamps and color palette, but I added the Treasure Life sentiment and dotted curvy line from my Angel Whispers stamp set.

All materials from Close To My Heart:

Both cards:

Blush, Pansy Purple, Orange, and Hollyhock inks

White Daisy, Pansy Purple, and Hollyhock card stock

Adorable, Connections, and It's a Party! stamp sets

Card #1 also uses:

Be True stamp set

Blush ricrac

Hollyhock button

(I used my circle punch to cut out the Pansy Purple card stock circle, stamped the cross medallion image on it, and then pop dotted it onto the card.)

Card #2 also uses:

White Daisy grosgrain ribbon

Angel Whispers stamp set

(I stamped the backside of the Blush medallion image in second generation Pansy Purple to get the circle behind the cross medallion image.)

Twitterpated My Stickease & More

Last night my sixth grader had her first-ever band concert!
(She is learning to play the clarinet, like I did at her age.) They've only been in school for about 10 weeks, and the band director said that they have had only 15 practices with instruments. I was pleasantly surprised with their rendition of "Mary Had a Little Lamb!" Then 7th & 8th grade bands also played, and it was amazing to hear the difference a year or two can make.

Today is a half day at school for parent/teacher conferences. Since I have to stay the full day, DH is keeping the girls and crazily enough has allowed them BOTH to have a friend come home for the afternoon. Maybe he'll still be sane when I get home...

Since I haven't had any time to create more artwork, I thought I'd share the adorable Twitterpated My Stickease. They are so cute! (My Stickease are self-adhesive artwork with a matte, cardstock-type finish to them. You get two 6"x12" pieces of artwork in every My Stickease package.) I can't wait to use these on my Twitterpated layouts at this weekend's scrapbook class. If you're in the neighborhood, we'll be scrapping at 2:00 on Sunday, and then making cards starting around 4:00. (You can read more about it on my CTMH website- link at right.)

The very last image shows the back side of the My Stickease: two different two-page 12"x12" layouts featuring the Stickease. How's that for inspiration?

Spring 2007 (Layouts #47, 48, and 49)

{Disclaimer: You have seen these photos already but not these layouts. It may feel like deja vu but it's not.}

We couldn't decide on our photos from our photo shoot way back in '07, so we ended up buying the entire proof package. I am so glad that nothing before the Tickled Pink paper pack special ever felt "just right" for these photos, because I love how these work together! It was so nice to make time Saturday to create these layouts.

Ansley's layout is based on the Imagine Personality Presence sketch. I love that Close To My Heart's how-to guides give exact measurements that you can follow (as I did on the left) or customize to suit your photos (as I did on the right).


For once I had fewer photos of Macey than Ansley so I chose a different sketch, the Conclusion Combo pattern, also from Imagine. (Seriously, if you like to scrapbook or want to get started, you have got to check out these books!) I had to pull some Crystal Blue cardstock from my stash to complete her layout, which was no hardship since blue is her favorite color.


Finally, I had to make myself a 6"x6" layout for MY album. I used scraps plus a 6"x12" piece of Crystal Blue cardstock (cut in half). While I didn't follow a sketch, the left side definitely resembles a Reflections Main Frame and the right a Sidebar.

Even though spring is long gone, I will always treasure my memories of my little angels at this age. Having a family portrait really captures the moment for all time.

Thanks for looking!

All About Us Album Title Page (Layout #46)

This is one of those layouts that I really wish you could see in person. Besides enjoying meeting new people from all over, this layout is so much prettier in person. I may never go back to plain white cardstock! The base for this page is CTMH's textured White Daisy cardstock, and it is so rich.

My photos are from a photo shoot at church back in May of 2007. I finally broke into my Tickled Pink scrapbook kit from this past May. (Sorry, the papers and stamp set are no longer available.) I wish that I had taken a close up of the flower clusters so that you could see the textured cardstock and of the glitter paper too. LMK if you'd like to see it IRL! I'd be happy to show it off. The layout is based on the Reflections Title Topper- Photos (#1h), and it is the title page of our "All About Us" album.

1st Grade (Layouts #44 & 45)

Here's my baby back in 1st grade. Don't you love the snaggletooth grin? She's now a big 3rd grader. The left side is based on the Reflections Sidebar- Original (#3a) and the right is the Bottom Border- Portrait (#2c), also from Reflections. The great thing about this book of one-page layouts is that it tells you what layout sketches also look good with the pattern if you're wanting a two-page layout. Except for my title/closing pages, I always create two-page layouts. I just have a thing about both sides matching.


I also went ahead and made myself a 6"x6" layout of the wallet photos. I figure the girls' 12"x12" albums will go with them one day, so the smaller albums are mine. :)

Both layouts use the (now retired/unavailable) Whoops-A-Daisy paper pack and the (still available) coordinating My Stickease. Fast, quick, and easy! (No comments about that one from the peanut gallery, okay?)

i-top brad maker giveaway

Head on over to Stacy Julian's blog to enter for a chance to win a cool brad maker! (If YOU win because I told you to enter, you better make me a few fun brads, okay?!?) I know I've met my quota on winning prizes this year (scroll down for Tresa's amazing canvas if you didn't see it already) but it's fun to play along anyway.

It is definitely Monday- though it was a good one- and I am tired. I have one set of papers left to grade to be caught up (at least until tomorrow) but I am going to pull a Scarlett and put off until tomorrow what should be done today. (Y'all know, dahlin's, tomorrow IS another day!)

Scroll down if you're looking for today's artwork post... Happy Blogtoberfest!

So Grateful/Color Me Monday Combo

If it's Monday it must mean back to the grindstone! I hope my students are well rested and ready to get back to work. I'm not sure I am, but boy was it a fun fall break! (I truly am grateful for my job and my students.)

This simple card measures 4.75"x3". I love its smaller size! My color palette was taken directly from a past "Color Me Monday" combo by Jeanette Lynton.

Customers at a recent gathering received this card as a thank you with their order, and I was very flattered when one of them asked where they could buy the leaf paper. I told her that she would have to make it. I stamped it using the colors at right and my November Word Puzzle stamp set. (I am still so sad that they are being retired, but at least you have until 12/31 to get them.)

Twitterpated Card & Alex's Birthday

Today my nephew Alex turns 3! We are celebrating with a party this afternoon. No, we didn't get enough of him (or his brother) on vacation! I'll definitely be posting pictures later of the party and these handsome fellows. (At left he is enjoying strawberry soup on our cruise.)

It is wonderful to be home safe and sound from our trip. Now to get papers graded between church, the birthday party, and getting ready for work/school tomorrow!

This fall card was literally made with scraps, and I love how it turned out! The circles were leftover from my accordian card (see my post on 10/3, World Card Making Day). I had a piece of Chocolate cardstock that measured 4"x12", so I cut it down to 4"x11" to make an almost-standard-size card. I modeled it after the Wishes "Circle Collection" pattern. I did have to cut the striped paper to size, but that was easy. Even the ribbon was scrap.

All the paper comes from the Twitterpated paper pack. The adorable felt leaf came from the Heartfelt Whimsy felt collection. I can't wait to show you more with these cool felt pieces! The cute little bluebird on its branch is from the Whoo Loves You stamp set. Thanks for looking! Hope you find a little happiness today too.

Spooky Sky Cards

Today's challenge over at 365 Cards is to incorporate the sky into your project. Though I still have tropical skies on my mind, the weather here at home has definitely turned to fall. I was trying my hand at brayering a la Michelle Zindorf. She offers some amazing tutorials on her site, so I'll let you go there to learn since I obviously still need help. (I definitely understand now why she clear embosses everything. No matter how small I made my mask I still had a white "ghost" around my tree. I finally traced around them w/my lightest colored marker, and now they "glow.") I also think that sponging the sky would have been more effective, but it was fun to try something different. (It's been forever since I've used my rubber brayer.) The great thing about paper crafting is that the sky's the limit. (Okay, not so "pun-ny" I admit.) Why don't you try something new today, or pull out something "old" and make it new again? I'd love to see what you come up with.

I think I've also qualified for Saturday Spotlight's Challenge #3: Make a Scene. Do you think I've also qualified for Cute Card Thursday's SPOOKY challenge? I wish the green ground actually looked green instead of gray-ish as it does here.

Happy paper crafting! (Scroll down if you have any interest in my first post of the day.)

Both cards use the October Word Puzzle (soon to be retired) and Grown with Love stamp sets on 5"x7" Pansy Purple card bases.

Top card inks: Garden Green, Cocoa, Sunflower, Autumn Terracotta, Outdoor Denim, Pansy Purple, and Black

Bottom card inks: Garden Green, Cocoa, Crystal Blue, Moonstruck, Pansy Purple, and Black

(All supplies from Close To My Heart.)

I'm a Winner! Woohoo!

In between loads of laundry yesterday, I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs and was shocked to find that I WON this gorgeous canvas from my fabulously artsy friend, Tresa! Am I super lucky or what?!? I am sure to have more photos when it arrives and I add my own picture. Now to decide on just the right one...

If you'd like to learn how to make those gorgeous paper roses, just click right here. Check her blog often because Tresa is fabulously talented, and not just in the paper crafting department, although there is no doubt that she is indeed the Stamp Goddess! Thank you so much! Muchas gracias!! Merci mille fois!!!

Yesterday I did indeed get the laundry finished and put away (hooray!). We got most of the household chores finished too, so we're going to our town's fall festival this afternoon. I'm glad we're back in time to go. I'm trying a new recipe in the crockpot (which I love to use) so I'll let you know how it turns out. Have a happy Saturday wherever you are and whatever you're doing!

Highlights from our Holiday

We are home safe & sound from our lovely vacation. (We had thought to go to New Orleans yesterday, but with the weather and the President coming to town, we headed back home instead. We'll hit the Big Easy another time when we can stay a bit longer.)

Here are a few photo highlights of our trip. We surprised our parents with "FFF" t-shirts the first night on board. FFF = Forced Family Fun, a tradition that started way back when I was in high school. We've added several Fs to the list:
Foreign
Free
Floating
Freaky (by Ansley)
and a few other Fs you can imagine...



The grandparents kept the little boys so that the rest of us could tour Uxmal Mayan ruins. They were absolutely incredible, but here are only two of my photos.














We went to a "private club" on Cozumel where we were able to swim and snorkel without any hassle. The girls also got a few Caribbean braids in their hair.






















The girls learned to make towel puppies at Camp Carnival.




Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

(Need I say more?!?)









The famous Carnival "fan tail"

Now let the laundry begin!

More Holiday Warmth

We leave the Holiday today but the adventure is not over! Stay tuned for more...

This is my final Holiday Warmth card (for now). It is based on the Top It Off sketch from Wishes. One thing I love about the 8"x3.5" cards is that they fit in a business envelope. If you write a holiday newsletter, it would slip into this card perfectly.

Can you see the prisma glitter bling?

I colored this whimsical tree with my waterbrush and Juniper ink. When it was completely dry, I traced the lines with my Juniper marker because the waterbrush had faded them. I love how it turned out!

If you have any questions about this card or any other, just ask me in the comments and I will get back to you. Thanks!