Making an Effort...

I seem to go in spurts, posting to the blog here, but I REALLY am going to try to keep this a consistent thing.  It's pretty amazing, how easy it can be to neglect writing new posts.  Today, I am sharing a card I made for one of my nephews.  I saw a similar design (and I apologize, because I now can not find the original source) and I thought it would be a great 'boy' design.

I pulled out my papers, inks, stamps and dies and got myself ready to create a masterpiece!  Alright, well, maybe not a MASTERPIECE, but the birthday boy liked it, so all good in my eyes :).

I started out with a Tropical Teal base, if you've never used Papertrey Ink's Cardstock, it is heavenly - nice and thick and sturdy, love it!  On the white layer, I stamped some images from Grunge Me in Kraft ink, to anchor the focal point.

Next, I die cut some stars using the Sketched Stars dies, in a few different colors (Hawaiian Shores, Simply Chartreuse, and Tropical Teal), and on top of that, I placed a Kraft star, stamped with images from Star Prints, die cut with the Seeing Stars dies.

To add my sentiment, I used the 3 colors of ink that coordinated with the die cut stars, and made an 'ombre effect' on the 'happy' from Wet Paint - and finished off the sentiment with True Black ink.

Off to another birthday party today -- with a family as big as ours, we're BOUND to be headed off to a party on any given weekend, lol... Thanks for stopping by!!!

Supplies (all PTI unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Wet Paint, Star Prints, Grunge Me
Ink: Simply Chartreuse, Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal, True Black, Classic Kraft
Paper: Tropical Teal, Select White, Hawaiian Shores, Simply Chartreuse, Classic Kraft
Accessories: Seeing Stars Dies, Sketched Stars Dies, Corner rounder punch

Alice in Wonderland!

Hey there!!!  LOOOOOONG time no see!  It's been one heck of a year.  Some good, some bad, but it's ALL flying by!  I've made some cards here and there throughout the year, but most haven't made it here to the blog, but check out my Instagram account, they usually at very least make it there :). (link is in the upper right of the screen)

I came by to share this card with you that I made this past weekend. My neighbor is turning 7, and wanted an Alice in Wonderland party.  I thought long and hard, and the idea hit me!  How about a card with the Cheshire Cat??  You know, when we first meet him, in the dark??  YUP!  I can do that! lol.  I broke out my punches, and my large circle nestabilities, and got to work.  Here's the front -- the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Stylish Sentiments: Birthday.

Ok, so that came out kind of cute -- used a thin line black marker to draw his teeth.  Next, on to the inside!  I drew his tail freehand on an old piece of Orchid Opulence CS from SU!, and cut it out, then added some strips of Rich Razzleberry (Also SU!) to make the stripes on his tail.  The sentiment inside are cut from various Papertrey Ink Dies.  This has GOT to be one of my favorite cards that I have made recently...just fun.

My girls each made something too - A made her card 2 months ago in anticipation of this day, so she was disappointed that hers wasn't Alice themed, but I thought she did a great job.  The only thing I helped with was die cutting the '7'.

This was the front:

And here is the back:

Lastly S made this one, to look like a playing card, another nod to the movie, and she colored the adorable Rio image from Simply Betty Stamps like Alice:

A lot of fun we had with this birthday!! :)  Thanks for stopping by!!

Cheshire Cat Card:
Stamps: Stylish Sentiments: Birthday (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Versamark
Paper: True Black, Select White, Hawaiian Shores (PTI) Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence (retired), Yoyo Yellow (Retired) (SU!)
Accessories: White EP, Circle Nestabilities (Large), 1" Circle punch, 1/4" circle punch (I think), Birthday Trio Dies, By the Numbers and By the Numbers Mats dies,   Block Alphabet dies, One Liners: Happy dies, Suffix Style dies

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 10 Minute Craft Dash!!!

WHEW!  What a CRAZY few weeks it's been!  Running around like mad, but SO glad, at the very last minute, I was able to participate in the big birthday extravaganza over at the 10 minute Craft Dash!

So, this time around, we are to use a birthday theme, and keep it under 10 minutes... easy, right?  One would think...I started one card, and after getting started, there was NO WAY I was going to complete the card in less than 10 minutes, and then realized I totally messed it up - so off to the garbage that one went, lol.  BUT -- I did get to make this little ditty for the dash --

It was close, but I made it!

Can't wait to get to REALLY go through the entries, I always love to see what everyone can do in 10 minutes!!  So much fun.  Thank you Paulina for starting this challenge, it's my favorite!  Congratulations on your first year!!  Looking forward to the second!

Supplies (All PTI unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Big Birthday Wishes, Hello, Sunshine, Bitty Background Blocks II

Ink: Orange Zest, Pure Poppy, True Black, Enchanted Evening

Paper: Classic Kraft, Pure Poppy, Harvest Gold, Orange Zest, New Leaf, Pacific Point(SU!)

Accessories: Star Nestie dies, Birthday trio die collection, Suffix style die collection, By the Numbers dies, By the Numbers Mats dies

Tuesday Trigger on Saturday!

I was surfing around a bit earlier this week, and came across the latest Tuesday Trigger challenge, from MoxieFab blogger, Cath Edvalson.  Check out this photo:

I LOVE all of the fun color - and circles.... I went ahead and took the inspiration photo quite literally, and made this:

It kind of reminds me of a watercolor paint palette, I really love the transition from cool colors to warm colors.  I used Bitty Background Blocks II to give the circles a little more texture, and the sentiment is from Trendy Tree Tops.

I added a little bling, and that was it!  A fun little card, I think.  Thanks for popping by!

Supplies (All PTI unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Bitty Background Blocks II, Trendy Tree Tops

Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Enchanted Evening, Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, Spring Moss, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise, Melon Berry, Berry Sorbet, Raspberry Fizz, True Black

Paper: Hawaiian Shores, Evening, Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold, Spring Moss, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise, Melon Berry, Berry Sorbet, Raspberry Fizz, Pacific Point (SU! retired), Bermuda Bay (SU! retired), Select White, Going Gray (SU!)

Accessories: Doodlebug Bling, Sketched Shapes dies

A Card for Cadence....

So the other day, I'm scrolling through my Facebook feed, and I see a link from a friend, requesting that her card-making friends consider making a card for Cadence.  I clicked on the link, to see what it was about.  You see, Cadence is a beautiful little almost 7 year old girl, and just a few weeks ago, her whole life was turned upside down.  She was in a car accident, with the rest of her family, and she was the only one who survived.  She lost her Mom, her Dad, and her 2 year old little sister.  Every time I think about it, I cry.  I just don't get it.  SO - today I sat down to make a card for Cadence.  I needed a place to start from.  I chose to use this week's Deconstructed Sketch (#109).

I was inspired by this awesome card by Dawn Easton.  So, I set off to make my own creation.  I used Kraft for my background layer, clear embossed using my Background Basics: Herringbone stamp set.  Then I cut 3/4" strips of Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Limeade Ice, Hawaiian Shores, and Winter Wistera (I also used the heart border die to cut a strip of hearts from the same colors).  I glued the strips to the Kraft layer, and then adhered a piece of vellum CS over it (adhering it with glue behind the heart strips.  Then I adhered the heart strips on top.

I die cut a piece of select white CS with the scalloped circle from the Limitless Layers Circle 1.75" dies, and stamped a sentiment from Birthday Bash Sentiments in Smokey Shadow ink.  To finish off the sentiment, I used the tiny heart image from Teach & Inspire and stamped them in a rainbow pattern above and below the sentiment.  Attached a Hawaiian Shores felt flower, and used a fun jeweled embellishment from Jolie's Boutique. (Purchased at Michael's)

I plan to pop this in the mail on Monday, it should get there in time for Cadence's birthday on 7/23.  If you would like to send a card -- here is a Facebook page that includes the information, and some more pictures of this sweet little girl.  www.facebook.com/cardsforcadence

Thanks for stopping by...

Tracey

Supplies (All PTI unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Teach & Inspire (heart), Birthday Bash Sentiments, Background Basics: Herringbone
Ink: Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Limeade ice, Hawaiian Shores, Winter Wisteria, Smokey Shadow
Paper: Select White, Classic Kraft, Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Limeade ice, Hawaiian Shores, Winter Wisteria, Vellum CS
Accessories: 1.75" Circle Limitless Layers Dies, Heart Border Die, Clear embossing powder, Beautiful Blooms II #3 dies, Hawaiian Shores Felt, Jolie's Boutique jeweled sticker.

Happy 4th of July Birthday!!

Happy 4th of July to those here in the US!  A great day -- very thankful for those who gave us a reason to celebrate!  I hope you are off from work, and having fun today.  I had gotten these awesome stamps and cut files from Waltzingmouse Stamps a few weeks ago, and I just couldn't wait to make this card.  It's been in my head, and waiting for the right moment.  I was totally inspired by Anya's card.

Not only is today America's birthday, it's also the birthday of a long time friend of mine.  I've known her since I was 12, so it's been....eeerrrrr, uhhhh, mmmmm...well, it's been a long time ;).  Anyway, I always thought it was pretty cool that her birthday is on the 4th of July, I mean, fireworks for your birthday...like EVERY year?? lol.

Sooooooo - it's Amanda's birthday, and it's the 4th of July...so I should make a card for Amanda.  Here it is....

I think this may be the most favorite card I've ever made.  Not sure if it's the sense of pride I have of being from New York, the USA, or just that these cut files and fireworks stamps are just SO DARN COOL!

The fireworks images were stamped in gold or platinum inks, and embossed with either gold tinsel or hologram highlights embossing powder (I think the hologram one was retired by SU! - but I think you can still get gold tinsel in M's)  The background was airbrushed with my Copics...I LOVE the background.

Lady Liberty, and the city skyline are cut files that Claire has made available -- SO cool.  I used a sentiment from 1776, and then snagged the 'birthday' from one of my PTI sentiments.

So - HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!  Hope it's the start of a great year!  (well, of course it will be, she's getting married in September!  YAAAAAYYYY!)  Happy 4th of July to all <3 p="">

Craft Dash #20!

Happy Summer!!  Things are in full swing here this week - the girls started camp, and I AM NOT used to this new routine!  I thought Summer was supposed to be relaxing...mmmmmmm...my days have gotten LONGER, and I'm pooped! lol. I'm sure once I'm used to the routine, it will get better...I hope. :)

ANYHOO - I took a few minutes (literally!) for myself last night, and put something together for the latest 10 Minute Craft Dash.  I have to say, I really do LOVE this challenge, because so many times I will start a project, and not have ANY idea where I'm going with it -- and then it takes FOREVER -- well, when you are doing the 10 minute craft dash, you don't have TIME for that, so you need a plan.  Even at that, things don't always go as planned (like my last entry - I had issues with the size of the focal panel, so having to trim it cost me valuable time, and put me over) but more often than not, if you have a plan, you're good.

Keep your idea realistic, even the most simple of designs can be time consuming.

Here is the challenge graphic:

I totally LOVE these colors, by the way!

Here's my card:

Is it my favorite card ever?  no.  But -I think it is clean and simple, it's got a great pop of color.  The dimensionals I used were TOO big, in my opinion, popped a little too far off the page.  Also, I had to hand cut the triangles, because the dies were out of stock, and I think that would have made a big difference, too. I like the texture of the sketched images on the triangles, and I think I might definitely try this again once I can get my hands on those dies, I might be more pleased with the outcome.  BUT --Overall, still happy with it, quirks and all.

Best of all -- I made time :)

If you haven't already checked out the challenge, you should give it a shot -- it's a ton of fun!  Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies (All Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Sketched Shapes 

Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Orange Zest, Fresh snow

Paper: Smoky Shadow, Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise

Accessories: White embossing powder, dimesionals

Craft Dash 17!!

It's SPRING!!  And I don't know about you, but in my family, that means a WHOLE LOT OF EVERYTHING going on right now! lol.  We've got birthdays, Communions, Baptisms, Showers, Weddings, Anniversaries!  WOW!  So, needless to say, I've been busy making cards!  I haven't photographed all of them, because I run out of time :( ) but I have gotten a few, so I'll have some new things to share here soon!

BUT -- today I am here, playing along with the Craft Dash Challenge again!  Paulina comes up with some fun challenges, and I REALLLLLY want to get playing consistently.  This week's challenge is below:

Here's my take on the challenge:

One less birthday card to make for the weekend, WOOHOO! lol.  

Of course, let us not forget...how long did this take me???  Wellllll.....

MADE IT! :D

Speaking of making it...I've just started on a self improvement project...so I may post about here from time to time.  I've decided it's time to take my body back after not taking care of it pretty much since I became a mom.  I signed up for some fitness classes at the martial arts school where my children take class, figuring there's total accountability...I'm Irish, so I'm naturally guilty, lol.  I took my first two classes this past Friday, and it was INTENSE for someone as out of shape as I am -- BUT -- I made it through the first class (hour of upper body) and made it part of the way through the second (hour of lower body).  I made it farther than I expected, truthfully, but am glad to get going.  My muscles are still sore today, though I can finally walk down a set of stairs without wanting to cry ;).  I go back this Friday for more, and I'll update more on where I go from there :).  

Thanks for popping by!  Have a great week!!

Tracey

Supplies (all PTI unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Super Stars, Stylish Sentiments: Birthday

Ink: Berry Sorbet, Aqua Mist, Classic Kraft, Smokey Shadow

Paper: Select White

Accessories: sequins

Stars and Smiles

So, how was everyone's weekend??  Mine was not exactly as planned, but still pretty darn good :).  We took my girls to a Math and Science night at their school, and it was really cool - lots of fun, hands on experiments for the kids to do!  Friday night - the little one started complaining about her ear -- so Saturday morning, instead of our usual Taekwondo (and this week we were supposed to meet friends for breakfast) we went to the doctor.  Ear infection.  Booooo.  We still managed to get a lot done, and I met a friend for dinner - it was fun catching up!

Today -- uuugggghhhh -- today I hit the play area in my family room, and WENT NUTS.  I got rid of 2 HUGE bags full of stuff - some garbage, some stuff that just needed to go.  We have TOO much stuff - and my girls never want to throw ANYTHING away (I foresee the show 'Hoarders' in my future!) So yeah, it was a busy day -- but Daddy took them to the park, and then they got to watch the new Monster High special, so all was right with their world, even if Mommy threw a bunch of stuff out ;).

Here and there, I've been trying to purge and get rid of things -- it's just taking the time to do it.  We have a very modest home, and the biggest thing is lack of storage -- so I'm always on a quest to be more organized.  I'll get the house to a good place, and then after a few weeks -- back to the old mess.  Do you have any tips or blogs or websites that have helped you become more organized??  I'm always happy to listen.

BUT -- this is not why I am posting!!  I came to share a card I made for my nephew Joe.  He just turned 5, and had a really cool party at Monster Mini Golf last weekend - lots of fun!  I needed to be quick, and try as I might -- this wasn't SO quick, but it was fun, and colorful.

These new birthday sentiments from Papertrey Ink are awesome, I've used them a few times already!  Unfortunately, I don't have the stars dies from PTI, so I hand cut the stars that weren't stamped directly on the card base, but at least they are all straight cuts, right?  That was what took the most time, but start to finish, it was probably about 25-30 minutes...not TERRIBLE.

Thanks so much for popping by -- I hope you had a great weekend!!

Tracey

Supplies (All Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Stylish Sentiments: Birthday, Super Stars

Ink: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, Simply Chartreuse, Hawaiian Shores, True Black

Paper: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, Simply Chartreuse, Hawaiian Shores, Select White

Dash to Make it Monday! - Glitter Trim

Ok, I know...this is really getting scary now!  ha!  I guess I've found a renewed sense of stampiness, or something. :)  Since playing in a few other challenges/hops, I found this fun challenge, called the 10 minute craft dash.  I thought it looked kind of fun, and figured why not give it a shot??  I decided to combine it with this week's Make it Monday challenge of die cut glitter trims.

Note to self: when doing a timed challenge, probably NOT a great idea to incorporate glitter...especially pink glitter...especially when you are wearing black..just sayin'.

OK -- so here's the craft dash challenge colors:

Here's what I did with them:

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out...AND I got it done in less than 10 minutes!!!

What are some of your favorite challenges to participate in??

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies (all PTI unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Stylish Sentiments: Birthday, Heart-2-Heart #6

Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate

Paper: Dark Chocolate, Select White, Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores

Accessories: Heart border die

A Little Birthday Ombre...

Had some fun playing around with an ombre technique (that's fancy for repeated stamping without re-inking, lol).

I used the long line with a curl at the end image from Waltzingmouse Stamps Free Spirit -Boy set, obviously not using the curl part ;).  I just stamped, and then lined the stamp up next to the previous line, and worked my way out to the corner.  A nice big sentiment from PTI, and I was good to go!

I liked it so much - I made another one, but with different colors...and this time I added some cute little wood veneer stars...

Orange is my favorite color, so I think I may be a little partial to this one, which one do you like better??  This inquiring mind would like to know :).

I'm grateful the weekend is upon us, though it will be a busy one!  Thanks for stopping by, wishing you all a great day!!

Supplies:

Blue Happy Birthday:

Stamps: Free Spirit-Boy, Waltzingmouse Stamps, Think Big Favorites #14

Ink: Pacific Point (SU!), Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: Pacific Point (SU!), Select White (PTI)

Accessories: Corner Rounder Punch

Orange Happy Birthday:

Stamps: Free Spirit-Boy, Waltzingmouse Stamps, Think Big Favorites #14

Ink: Orange Zest (PTI), Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: Orange Zest (PTI), Classic Kraft (PTI)

Accessories: Corner Rounder Punch, Wooden Veneer Stars (Studio Calico)

A Waltzingmouse Birthday Girl

Yes, it's been a long time, yes, I'm popping in for a visit...if you're reading this, that means you are too, and I'm thankful :).

For those of you that know me...you know that I have a big extended family with LOTS of nieces and nephews...and that means...LOTS of birthday parties! :)  This past weekend was NO exception!  My niece Tess, turned 4, and her older sister Grace turned 11.  I'm sharing Tess' card with you today, and will save Grace's for next time ;).

I was so happy to have received my new stamps from Waltzingmouse Stamps - called Half Pint Heroines.  I decided to use the full body image with the long haired 'head' to make a likeness of my niece.  Colored her in with my Copics (I completely forgot to photograph the colors I used -- sorry!)

I fussy cut the image out (old school in this day and age of custom dies, HA!) and mounted it on a banner cut (wine bottle tag) from By the Numbers paper. Added some embellishments, and adhered that to the base, which also had her age mounted on a lemon tart flower.  Bright and colorful for a bright and colorful girl :).

We had a great time at the party, a neighbor took the kids on a tractor ride to the local farm, and they played on the playground, and then came back to the house (a few times!) I think they all felt 'big' to get away from all of the parents for a little while...I think there were 19 kids on one ride (I told you I have a big family, lol).  Thanks for popping by!!  Make it a great day!

Supplies:
Stamps: Half Pint Heroines (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Classic Kraft, Plum Pudding, Raspberry Fizz, Lemon Tart, New Leaf, Hawaiian Shores, Select White (all PTI), By the Numbers patterned paper
Accessories: Wine Bottle tag die, Filigree Border die (PTI), swiss dot embossing folder, recollections bling  

Make it Monday #63 - Die Cuts with Glitter

Heeeyyy - long time no see, lol.

Life always seems to get in the way, and I just never get around to posting.  I had to make a couple of birthday cards today, and one of them just happened to fit the current Make-it-Monday challenge, on Nichole Heady's blog, so I actually took a picture of my card, and here I am! :)

This was for one of my favorite little guys, who just turned 4.  I know glitter isn't usually a 'guy' thing, but I used very manly colors, so I thought it was ok ;).

I stamped LOTS of stars from Star Prints and Super Stars for the background on base layer in Fresh Snow and Classic Kraft ink.  The sentiment is from Birthday Bash Sentiments.  Then I die cut my stars (Spellbinders Nestability Stars) from Enchanted Evening, Orange Zest and Simply Chartreuse CS.  Put them through the ol' Xyron, and covered them in coordinating Martha Stewart Glitters...well, except the blue.  That one I used a lighter blue glitter, and then used a navy blue copic, and airbrushed it darker.  All in all, a fun card for a fun little boy.

Thanks for popping by -- Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Supplies:
Stamps: Star Prints, Super Stars, Birthday Bash Sentiments
Ink: Fresh Snow, Classic Kraft
Paper: Classic Kraft, Enchanted Evening, Orange Zest, Simply Chartreuse
Accessories: Martha Stewart Glitter, dimensionals (SU!)

February PTI Blog Hop

Happy Saturday!!  How excited was I yesterday, when I got home, and had a new box of goodies waiting for me?  I SWORE I was taking a break from spending -- and then the PTI Anniversary happened!  HA!

The Movers and Shakers dies must be my absolute FAVORITES yet!  This month's blog hop theme was to create an interactive card.  And those of you that know me, will not be surprised to know that I needed a....you guessed it, BIRTHDAY card for my nephew.  (I have a very large family, with about 20 nieces and nephews - we're ALWAYS going to a birthday ;0) )  Anyway, onto the card.

(I apologize for the pictures, it was very late, and very very dark when I finished!)

Here's the front view:

I utilized lots of fun things here - Mat Stack #3 die, Limitless Layers 1.75" circle dies, the sliders Movers and Shakers Dies and stamp set, the alphabet dies, Dot Spot, and Way to go Kiddo (the lines on the Mat Stack #3 die cut)

Here we are, partially open, to reveal the sentiment from Movers and Shakers:

Too adorable.  I love the sentiments in this set, as well as the Simply You set.  Just darling.  I've added some stars from Star Prints on the tab that slides out, as well as the layer I added behind it.

Here's the tab all the way out - to reveal something about the birthday boy:

And there you have it!  My handsome little nephew will be receiving this today - We are so blessed to have a wonderful big family, and I love them all so much.  Can't wait to CELEBRATE! :)

Thanks for dropping by, have a GREAT weekend!

Supplies (All PTI):

Stamps: Movers and Shakers, Dot Spot, Star Prints, Way to Go Kiddo, Big Birthday Wishes

Ink: Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Summer Sunrise, Simply Chartreuse, True Black

Paper: Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Summer Sunrise, Simply Chartreuse, Select White

Accessories: By the Numbers dies, Movers and Shakers Sliders dies, Mat Stack #3 Die, Limitless Layers 1.75" circles dies

Happy Birthday Grammy!

Really??  The weekend is over already??  I SWORE it just started!! :)

It's been a great weekend, filled with lots of work, AND lots of fun!!  We had a great time at the tree lighting last night, and then today, we continued celebrating!

This time, we switched gears from Christmas to birthday, as it was my Mother-in-Law's birthday Wednesday.  All of the kids and their children headed out to where my in-laws live, and surprised her by showing up to Mass at their church this morning, then we headed over to their house, and all of the kids made a HUGE brunch for the entire family (7 kids, plus spouses, and 15 grandchildren!)  It was an awesome day.  The kids all had a blast, and it was nice to spend time all together.

Here's Grammy's card, made with the new Stitches & Swirls stamp set from Papertrey Ink, and Signature Greetings, one of my FAVORITES of all time.  Both were stamped in SU! Elegant Eggplant.  I colored in the stitches and swirls with my copics, and it's hard to see, but I used my gold spica glitter pen to add some highlights and a little sparkle.

That's about it, easy peasy.  I hope you all enjoyed the weekend, I'm ready for bed, I swear those pancakes had tryptophan in them!! ha ha ha  :)  OH -- Here are the copic colors I used :)

Happy Birthday Dad!

Yep.  For real.  TWO posts in one week!  Ha ha ha ha.

My Dad's birthday was October 30th.  For those that didn't know, here in the Northeast we got WALLOPED with an early Winter storm on October 29th, complete with 18 inches of snow, and no electricity for 5 days.  We dug out to get out and wish Dad a Happy Birthday, and it was an ADVENTURE to say the least!!

My parents were at my brother's house, my brother had gone and 'rescued' them earlier in the day.  Just trying to get to my brother's house, which is usually a 5 minute drive (IF I get stuck at the light) took us 20+, because we had to go around the long way due to downed trees.  We finally got to his neighborhood, and had to re-route a few times there, as there were 2 telephone poles that the tops were snapped off and were hanging in the middle of the road by the power lines (EEK!)

ANYWAY -- we FINALLY got to my brother's house, and got to sing Happy Birthday to my Dad :).

Here's his card:

I took the photo with my phone, as it was very last  minute.  The '65' is actually a 'ribbon' that's tucked behind the 'Ad Sense' die cut and sentiment.  I put a basic grey magnet on it, and 'pinned' it to his shirt.

I took a piece of kraft CS and ran it through my Cuttlebug with the woodgrain impression plate from Papertrey, and then rubbed my Dark Chocolate ink pad all over it, to bring out the embossing.

And there you have it...Happy Birthday Dad!  Wishing you many more :)

Supplies:
All supplies Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Ad Sense
Ink: Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate
Paper: Kraft, Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sunrise
Accessories: Delightful Doilies Dies, Limitless Layers 1.75" dies, By the Numbers dies, Woodgrain impression plate, Hawaiian Shores ribbon, basic grey magnet

A Weekend of Celebration & Summer Card Camp!

"JANE! STOP THIS CRAZY THIIIING!!!!"  ha ha ha...

What a weekend!  Friday happened to be my birthday, I was greeted after work with a family of balloon people my daughters made with my sister-in-law, and a BIG banner that they decorated for me :).  That night, my older daughter (7 years old) earned her orange belt at Taekwondo.  I'm so proud of her!! However, my post today is more about our celebrations yesterday.

The first party is for a close family friend, who recently celebrated her 90th Birthday.  Yep - she's an amazing lady, and I'm glad she is part of my life!  To make her card, I looked to the extra color combos from the Friday part of the online Summer Card Camp, being held by Jennifer McGuire, and Kristina Werner.  Here's what I made:

This card uses the Wonderful Words dies from PTI, as well as the By The Numbers dies, and the Wonderful Words Additions stamp set.  Though the middle 'happy' looks black in my photo, I used PTI's Royal Velvet...such a rich purple color -- it's gorgeous!  A few pearls scattered here and there kind of remind me of confetti.

Supplies:
All Supplies PTI unless otherwise noted

Happy 90th:
Stamps: Wonderful Words Additions
Ink: Plum Pudding
Paper: Stampers Select White, Plum Pudding, Simply Chartreuse, Kraft, Royal Velvet
Accessories: Wonderful Words Dies, Pearls (Basic Gray, Recollections)

PTI Blog Hop!

The post that almost wasn't!!  I'm having technical difficulties, when, of course, I FINALLY have a blog hop project to share!  eesh.  Luckily, I had a backup plan...

The challenge this month is to show some love to some neglected PTI stamps.  ALL of my stamps have been neglected lately, so this wasn't a very hard challenge, lol.

What I did here...is created some fun felt hair clips for my daughter's friend, and decided to incorporate them into her birthday card.  I die cut the star shapes out of PTI Chocolate and Raspberry felt, then I attached the two bitty dot Hawaiian Shores 'tails' to the star with a little scor tape, to hold them in place, while I sewed the star layers together and onto to the alligator clip that was wrapped with Hawaiian Shores twill.  Cute, right?

I used the Outlines Alphabet to create a background for the Raspberry layer.  Now -- I see some of the 8's are kind of 'glowing' in my photos...creepy, yes.  But I can assure you, this is not how the card looks to the naked eye!  After stamping my background, I used my Fillable Frames #3 die and stamp set to stamp my sentiment on (which is from Birthday Bash Sentiments).  Behind it, are 3 strips of rickrack, cut with the rickrack die.  They are adhered to the card front at the top, middle, and bottom.  This allows me to clip the clips onto the card, incorporating them into the design!

I loved the way this came out, and honestly, while DD was excited to give this to her friend, I could see she wanted to keep it for herself, lol.

Thanks for popping by!!  Make it a GREAT day! :)

Supplies:
Stamps: Outlines Alphabet, Birthday Bash Sentiments, Fillable Frames #3
Ink: Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, Brilliance Chocolate
Paper: Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, Select White, Dark Chocolate
Accessories: Raspberry & Chocolate Felt, rickrack die, Fillable Frames #3 die, Hawaiian Shores bitty dot & twill ribbon, Hawaiian shores buttons, chocolate DMC floss, alligator clips, star nestabilities

Happy Birthday Dad - Made Easy

Today is my Dad's birthday.  My Dad is a pretty amazing guy.  He's 64 today.  He shouldn't have seen his 62nd birthday, but due to his AMAZING stubbornness and will, he made it through an INCREDIBLY risky surgery, and is here today :).  He was a smoker for MANY MANY years...because of that, he developed poor circulation to his feet.  He had numerous surgeries to fix it, and none worked.  He had an open wound on his leg that wouldn't heal...from one of those surgeries.  And although everything was done to prevent it, he got an infection.  And it got bad.  Fast.  He was in ICU, on a ventilator, and my Mom had to make the decision for the doctors to amputate my dad's leg above the knee...  They weren't even sure he'd make it through the surgery, but it was the only chance he had.  And he made it. He has a prosthetic leg, and walks with canes, but it's SO much better than the alternative.  Here's a picture of him from our family vacation this Summer...

I'm so proud of him, and all he has overcome.

Now -- that being said....my Dad is not into any hobbies, and he is THE hardest person to buy for.  He and my Mom buy what they need/want, and he's pretty simple to please.  So, Dad gets his favorite snack, Entemann's glazed donut holes, and for a little fun, some scratch off lotto tickets.  I kind of hate just handing him a stack of scratch offs though, so take a peek at what I made this year:

This is one of the fabby new templates that is going to be available from My Time Made Easy this month!!  It's called "Carry it".  I love the little handle up top, it's part of the closure...so clever.  You might recognize some of those images too -- the sentiment is from Just for You, and the leafy images are from the Thankful set.  I've also used the new Trendy Tags cut file, and some delicious new paper designed by Krisitn Bueter.

It holds a good amount of tickets nicely -- don't you think?

WHOA -- sorry about the 'GLOWING green' in this pic!  yikes~

So, even though it's not fancy, or expensive, I know it's something my Dad will enjoy...and with all he's been through...he deserves it!

Be sure to stop by and visit Lisa, as well as Lauren, Catherine, and Debbie too!!  They've all got something marvelous to share with you today!

One more picture to share of the FABULOUS fall foliage around here -- and then I'm off, I have to go celebrate a birthday! :)

Thanks for stopping by!!