Bundles of Babies for Keep it Simple Sunday

Hi there! Welcome to my third week of "Keep it Simple Sunday", where I attempt to focus on CAS cards that can be made in 30 minutes or less. Today is actually a "two-fer" because I was so motivated with the first card, I just kept on going with a second one. Best part? BOTH cards were completed in 45 minutes total! Whoop Whoop! The coloring of the images is really what took the most time. 

While searching for some inspiration this morning, I found this fabby sketch from the Get Sketchy Challenge and I knew EXACTLY what stamp set I wanted to pair it with: Baby Bundle. I just LOVE this sketch! Anytime an element is repeated on a design, it just makes me happy. I am going to need a lot of baby cards coming up soon so I thought I would get crackin' on them. I love how these came out so much, I am going to make a bunch more to have on hand. So FYI, if you know me and are expecting a "wee one"...this is a preview of the card you will receive. ;)

The inside of the cards make me smile! How stinkin' CUTE are those little baby faces?? 

Well, there you have it...keepin' it simple on Sunday! I have listed the supplies used for both cards under each photo, below. Which card do you like better? Baby boy or baby girl? Leave me a comment and let me know! :) Hope ya'll had a fantastic weekend out there. Thanks for stopping by! 

Baby Girl Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Baby Bundle
Ink: Basic Black Classic ink
Paper: Love DSP, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White card stock
Accessories: 1 1/4" Square punch, Scalloped Square punch, 3/4" Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label punch, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin Dimensionals and Whisper White 5/8" Organza ribbon
Non SU! Accessories: pink glitter paper, glitter glue and alcohol-based markers

Baby Boy Stampin' Up! Supply List: 

Stamps: Baby Bundle

Ink: Basic Black Classic ink

Paper: Good Morning Sunshine DSP (Ret.), Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White card stock

Accessories: 1 1/4" Square punch, Scalloped Square punch, 3/4" Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label punch, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin Dimensionals and Pacific Point 5/8" Striped Grosgrain ribbon (Ret.)

Non SU! Accessories: glitter glue, star accents and alcohol-based markers

Embossed Easter Blossoms

Hello there and Happy Saturday! I hope you are enjoying your day today! It's a GREAT day in this house because Syracuse beat Georgetown in the game, earlier today. SO exciting to see our favorite team doing so well! (The win also ensures that both my husband and I stay in a good mood for the remainder of the day. Haha!) After the game, I had a little, free-time this afternoon. I thought I would take advantage of it and spend some time in my craft room. 

I saw the Saturday Sketch Challenge that was just posted at Stamping 411 and thought I would give it a go. I really wanted to ink up my new Easter Blossoms set today with this one. The little circle element on the sketch really kept throwing me off, though. So, I decided to work that element into the stamped image by adding some Basic Pearl "Easter eggs" to the little basket. I colored the eggs first with a marker to make them more festive. Hopefully that will work for the challenge. :) 

I also paired up the sketch with this week's color combo from The Color Dare. There is something about this combo that makes me happy. It is perfect for SO many occasions and is one of my all-time favorites! 

Color Dare #98

Perfect Plum

Always Artichoke

Neutral of Choice

My little gal was stamped on Crumb Cake card stock, then heat embossed. for some more dimension. Then I sponged around the image with Crumb Cake ink first, then around the edges with Basic Black ink. I also realized that I really don't have a lot of patterned papers in either Always Artichoke or Perfect Plum. Ack! Hmmm...no worries! The Elegant Lines Embossing Folder came to my rescue! :) 

I finished off the inside with some of the scraps that were laying on my desk, that just didn't work out for the front of the card. I just love decorating the inside of my cards. Sure, it adds a little bit of mailing weight to them, but I think it is totally worth it. 

That's all for today! Thanks for poppin' on in to visit! If you will, please say hello and leave a comment before you go. I really enjoy hearing from you. I will be back tomorrow with a clean and simple creation, so please stop by again. Have a great rest of your day...I'm off for a "date night" with my sweet hubby! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps- Easter Blossoms 
Ink: Basic Black and Crumb Cake Classic ink, Basic BLack Craft ink (for embossing)
Papers: Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum, Crumb Cake and Basic Black card stock
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Kraft 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (ret.), Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch, Scalloped Oval XL punch, Decorative Label punch, 2" x 1 3/8" XL Oval punch (inside) Basic Pearls colored with markers and Stampin' Dimensonals
Non-SU! Accessories: border punch (inside)

Create a *Sparkly* Cupcake

Howdy and Happy Friday to you! What a great week this has been, incredibly busy but great! I have been SO motivated to create ever since attending a demo meeting this week with a few of the fabulous gals from Hand Stamped Sentiments. I learned so many fun tips and techniques, it was AWESOME! Thanks again ladies! :) 

Today, I wanted to use my motivation to try some online challenges. First, I saw the color combo below from The Color Throwdown this week. The polka-dotted butterfly completely caught my eye. I am NOT the biggest fan of Tangerine Tango, but all the other colors in the mix are favorites. Then I read "Dunkin' Donuts" on the Color Throwdown blog and that was what stuck in my head...hence the cupcake. Ha, I actually JUST remembered that I have a donut stamp, too. (*WHY??*)

Then, I was inspired by this week's sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenges. I am LOVIN' that row of bling on the bottom of the sketch. Well, I guess it doesn't HAVE to be bling...but that's how my mind interprets it! I love bling! :)

Finally, Pals Paper Arts challenged participants to "use scallops in your own design this week.  Keep it clean and simple and let those scallops flow across your card!". There are even teeny, tiny scallops on the cupcake punch. That punch just makes me happy! 

Last night, I saw an awesome tutorial from Stampin! with Jaydee on using the Circle Scissor Plus tool, which was perfect because I didn't have circle punches in sizes that I needed for this card. My Circle Scissor and I have had a love/hate relationship since I bought it. For the past few months, it has actually been locked in the closet, as punishment, for frustrating me too many times to count. Jaydee really demonstrated some awesome tips to use that tool with flawless results! Hooray!! CLICK HERE for her video. Thanks again, Jaydee, for saving my Circle Scissor from an uncertain fate! ;)

Here is the decorated inside, using more scallops, a sassy sentiment and a little "mini-cupcake" punch (non-SU!) . All of the other products (and some details) I used to make the card are listed below, too.

Thanks for visiting today! Please leave me a comment to say "Hi!" before you go, if you would. Be sure to come back and visit again. I'm hoping to have some photos up soon of my craft room, as soon as I put the finishing touches on a few things. Have a very HAPPY rest of your day today! :)

SU! Supply List: 
Stamps: Create a Cupcake (Occasions Mini)
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Tangerine Tango Classic ink, Chocolate Chip Classic AND Craft ink (for embossed front sentiment)
Papers: Love DSP, Tangerine Tango, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Circle Scissor Punch (for front circles), Scallop Border punch, 2 3/8" Scalloped Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Build a Cupcake punch (Occasions Mini), Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Paper Crimper, Stampin' Dimensionals and Basic Pearls
Non-SU! Accessories: pink gingham ribbon and mini-cupcake punch

Whooo's a True Friend?

Hello there! It is kind of gloomy here in Texas, so what better way to brighten up the day then with a little stampin' time? Small problem...I had absolutely no mojo this morning! Oh nooo! NOT a good thing! After a few minutes of surfing the web, with coffee in hand...three challenges caught my eye and I was inspired to attempt to "get my crafty on". (*time to cue up a similar sounding Justin Timberlake song on my iPod now...haha!*)

First, I just fell in love with this week's sketch from Unscripted Sketches. I knew it would be a fun way to use lots of patterned papers.

Then, I was inspired by the SU Only Challenges this week to feature Sale-A-Bration items on your project. I went with the Punch Bunch stamp set, the Ice Cream Parlor DSP & Accents Pack and the Ice Cream Parlor Ribbons & Buttons pack. All were earned for FREE during SAB with my qualifying order. HERE is a link to the SAB catalog, to learn more. 

Finally, I found a fun new site called: Res-Q-Challenges. The challenge this week is to beat the winter blues and create a project with something that makes you happy. Nothing makes me happier then using my punches and two of my favorite colors together:

PINK and YELLOW!  :)

• For some details, I added a quick squirt of Crystal Effects to the owls eyes and heart. I wanted to use glitter for the heart but held myself back. Not everything has to be sparkly...wait, did I just say that? ;) I also heat embossed the center of the sentiment to make it stand out a little more and mimic the polka dot DSP. (Yeah, it's a little crooked, I know...oops!) Also, I added some embroidery floss to the buttons so they would look a little more dressed up...I don't like "naked" buttons. Haha!  

• Last up, it wouldn't feel right if I failed to decorate the of the inside of the card. I just used up some scraps from the front along with some stickers from the Quick Accents Pack. So simple!  

Thanks so much for stopping by. Enjoy your day today! :)


Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Punch Bunch (Sale-A-Bration)
Ink: Melon mambo Classic ink and Versamark ink
Papers: Ice Cream Parlor DSP (Sale-A-Bration), Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point and Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon & Button Pack (Sale-A-Bration), 1/2" Circle punch, 1" Circle punch. 1 1/4" Circle punch, Two Step Owl XL punch, Scallop Trim Border punch (inside), White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Crystal Effects and Stampin' Dimensionals
Non-SU!: tiny bit of white embroidery floss

Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge #56: To "Die" For

Hello and Happy Terrific Tuesday! :) It's time for another weekly challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments! Want to play along? Well, all you have to do is show us a creation "To Die For"! Hee, Hee! C'mon, bust out your die cuts and join in the fun! How easy is THAT? 


For my creation this week, I am sharing some inspiration from one of my favorite stampers: Nance Leedy. She's awesome! I have been wanting to make these fun flowers from the Floral Fusion die since I saw a card she made HERE. For this one, I tried to channel my "inner-Nance" and created my version, with a "shabby-licious" spin!

Here are some details from my card: 

• Paper Piecing is so fabby! I stamped and cut out these little dress forms from the Springtime Vintage DSP. Yes, I used the paper snips again...I do NOT like cutting, but it was necessary for this endeavor. Then, I popped them up with some Stampin' Dimensionals and added a little "belt o' pearls" to fancy them up a bit. 
• I also embossed the DSP with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder for some more texture. You just can't ever have TOO much texture, can you? Embossing your DSP is a fun way to pack a subtle punch on any project! 

• I misted the layered, die-cut flowers with some Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz for some sparkle and shine. I also folded-in the petals while they were damp to add more dimension. A quick blast of the Heat Tool set them in their place. Then, I topped them off with some Basic Pearls.

• Who loves Seam Binding? I do, I DO!! *jumping up and down, while frantically making "jazz-hands"* Hmmm, seam binding isn't usually that wide...IS IT? Nope. But when you layer two pieces side-by-side and add a piece of Chantilly 1/2" Crochet Trim over the "seam", no one will ever know the difference! Ha...sneaky, sneaky!  I also added a piece of lace to the center of the bow to switch things up a bit. I wanted to repeat the Itty Bitty punch from the center of the flowers but decided to add a Bitty Button over the Bitty punch for a little somethin' extra. (That's a LOT of "bitty's" in one sentence...eeek!)

• Finally, I wrapped up this shabby-chic creation with a decorated inside. I think this could be a fun card for a birthday or simply to just say hello to a dear friend. What is better then that? That's why there isn't a sentiment inside. You can always add it on when the time is right...or just write a perfect handwritten message. That's always cool, too! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! I really hope you will play along with us at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week. Enjoy your day and if you would, please leave a comment to say hello.


But before I go, I have had a few emails about my Benjamin Maxwell. To give further proof that he is a "hot-mess", here is a photo from yesterday. He really DOES get comfortable anywhere he can. Look at the open mouth...ugh!! I call this one "Benny & the Mac". *suddenly, I have that Elton John song, "Benny & the Jets" stuck in my head...Lol!* Until next time...

SU! Supply List: 
Stamps: Sew Sweet and You're a Gem (both from Occasions Mini catalog)
Ink: Early Espresso Classic ink
Papers: Springtime Vintage DSP (Occasions Mini), Rose Red, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla card stock
DIe Cuts: Floral Fusion Sizzlet Die and oval/scalloped oval dies (non-SU!) 
Accessories: Square Lattice Embossing folder, Rose Red Seam Binding, I/2" Crochet Trim in Chantilly, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Basic Pearls, Bitty Button, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Scallop Edge Border punch (inside) and Stampin' Dimensionals 

Keep it Simple Sunday, Week 2

Hello! Well, this post is going live much later then I had planned today...whoops! It's been a busy day here. Last week, I started "Keep it Simple Sunday" here on my blog in an effort to focus on more CAS cards. This week, I thought I would share with you the cards I recently received from a CAS swap over on Splitcoast. 

The photos really do not do these cards justice, they are just gorgeous in real life. Many thanks to Patty for hosting this swap and to the amazingly talented stampers who shared their work. 


The 2 cards below were my cards for the swap:

(click on the photos for a better view)

There you have it, I'm keepin' it super short and simple today!  

Hope your day was happy today and thank you so much for stopping by! :)

Early Morning Crazy Mojo

Howdy friends! It's finally Friday...but in the case of this week, it came all too soon. I had some creative mojo early this morning, (why I was up at 6:30am is beyond me) so I decided to try to combine a color and a sketch challenge because I haven't done it in a while. 

I REALLY like this week's color challenge at The Paper Players, which features this warm and rich mix of colors: 

The card design is based on this fun sketch from Mojo Monday this week:

Maybe it was the early morning creative vibes, maybe it was the 2 1/2 cups of coffee I drank, or maybe it was my new favorite station on Pandora (Mumford & Sons Radio...LOOOOOVE it!), but this one came together pretty quickly for me today. As I was looking through my stamp sets, I stopped on the Apple Blossoms set and it all seemed to work out. I love this set so much, I don't ever get tired of using it! 


I popped all of the layers up to give some dimension. Then, ran my brayer over the polka dot embossed layer with some Cajun Craze ink to make the dots stand out more. Finally, I added some white dots on the scalloped circle with the Signo Gel pen, to tie the colors together. Have I also mentioned that I am infatuated with seam binding and jewels? I have? Ok then...moving on... 

I decorated the inside, but left it blank, as this card can be used for a lot of different occasions.  When the time comes to use it, I will add the sentiment then. :)

Thanks for stopping by to visit today! If you would, please leave a comment and say hello. Now, I'm heading out to buy a pretty pink Bumbo seat, a sassy diaper bag and maybe some diapers...NOT for me, EEEK! ;) We are headed to a couple's baby shower tomorrow for some dear friends and I have put off the gift until almost the last possible minute. 


But before I go, I thought I would share a photo I snapped of little Emmitt earlier today. He and Ozzy (oh, and my husband, too) have been very patient with me while I have been learning my new camera. The lens kind of scares him, so we only take a few shots at a time. I just love his sweet face in this photo! Have a great day today! 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Apple Blossoms (hostess, level 2)
Ink: Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip Classic ink
Paper: Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake and Whisper White card stock
Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Brayer, Basic Rhinestones, Scallop Border punch (inside), White Signo Gel Pen, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (Occasions Mini)
Non SU! Accessories: circle and scalloped circle die cuts

Hydrangea in the Spotlight

Hello everyone! It's already Thursday? Ugh, this week is just flying by. Before I get into my card for today, I wanted to share some cool news. One of my cards was featured yesterday HERE at Paper Punch Addiction, which is a huge honor yet again. Thank you SO much, Kim! :) Please stop by and visit the site, there are some awesome ideas for using your punches. 

For my card today, I got my inspiration from the weekly technique challenge at "Just Us Girls". I have never tried the Spotlighting Technique before. It's just a really unique way to highlight a stamped image on a card. A link to a tutorial can be found HERE on Splitcoast, too.

I have had the idea in my head that I wanted to use this hydrangea stamp from the Because I Care set, when I first saw this challenge last week. Today, I FINALLY had some time to put it all together. Just in time, the challenge ends tonight. Whew! 


After I got the "spotlight-ed" image all colored and shaded, it just felt like it needed something else. So I pulled out my new Nature Walk set and inked up the little bee. I do NOT like cutting tiny things out, by the way, and tend to avoid it at all costs. But this little "buzzy-dude" needed to add some dimension to the flower so there was NO way around it. GAH...time to use those dreaded paper snips! I also glittered up his wings and added some Crystal Effects to his head to give him some added pizazz, since he IS in the spotlight, after all.

The card ended up being pretty simple overall but hopefully it helps the technique stand out more. I have listed all of the supplies used at the end of the post, so I won't go into detail. Here is a photo of the inside of the card, made with some scraps left over from the front:

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. I hope you are having a great week so far. Before I sign off, I realized that I haven't shared any photos of the "furry-ones" in quite a while. So, here is a shot of my angelic Benjamin Maxwell curled up on the desk, as I type this up. He is totally in the way, BUT staying out of trouble...for the moment anyway! (Note: the curled up paws. This cat is always in the most odd poses.) 

Have a HAPPY day! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Because I Care (hostess, level 1), Teeny Tiny Wishes (front sentiment) and Thanks for Caring (inside sentiment)
Ink: Basic Black and Perfect Plum (for coloring the hydrangea) Classic ink
Paper: Perfect Plum, Wild Wasabi, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla card stock
Accessories: Square Lattice Embossing Folder, 1" Circle punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, 1 3/8" Circle punch, Scalloped Trim Border punch (inside), Chantilly 1/2" Lace trim, Very Vanilla 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, 1 3/8" x 5/8" Oval punch, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch, Antique Brad, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (bee wings), Crystal Effects (bee head), Blender Pen and lots of Stampin' Dimensionals
Non-SU Accessories: alcohol-based markers and large circle/scalloped circle die cuts