Hmmm....

I need to figure out why my pictures are cut off....Anyone have any idea?  I switched templates yesterday so obviously it's something there....

ETA - I fixed it!  :)

2nd Swap Card

Can you tell which two sets are my favorites from the new catalog?  It would have to be Trendy Trees, and this one.  Friends 24-7 is such a versatile stamp set - you don't have to just use it for "friend" cards.  I was super happy with how this card turned out.  My only regret was that I didn't have any Very Vanilla or Chocolate Chip buttons from the Designer Button assortment called Latte.  The reason I regret it is that after assembling my card, I realized I used RETIRED buttons!!  I told you I didn't pay much attention to the retiring list this last time around.  I prefer the Pale Plum buttons, but a Very Vanilla or Chocolate Chip larger round buttons would have looked great too.  Oh well, the ladies in the Great Swaps Girls group were very understanding and I'm so thankful that they didn't mind my oops.  It's hare dot tell, but the die-cut tag and ribbon are both Very Vanilla - not Whisper White.

I hope you like it!

All supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Friends 24-7, A Little Birthday Cheer
Paper:  Pale Plum, Basic Black, Kraft and Very Vanilla CS
Ink:  Basic Black classic ink
Accessories:  Big Shot, SU! "Lots of Tags" sizzlit die, Very Vanilla Taffeta ribbon, Pale Plum button (retired), Linen Thread, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig

I did it!!

Well, thanks to Michelle, I finally delved into digi scrapbooking.  Rather than scrapbooking though, I was inspired by her tutorial on creating your own header to make one myself.  I used Photoshop Elements because it's what I'm most familiar with, and it worked well for me.  She even gives you links to FREE digi scrapbooking kits, and a link to a FREE trial of Adobe Illustrator if you don't have it, or Photoshop Elements to create your layouts.

I know, my header is BUSY BUSY BUSY, but I was having so much fun and couldn't stop!!!  Anyway, check out her post and leave her some love!!  If I get the time, I might just try to mess around with the little labels you can make for your sidebars.  We shall see....

Great Swaps Girls swap

Well, I can't show you this card without telling you what I had wanted to do with it.  It was an evolution in progress as I made it.  I started out running the Basic Gray CS through my Big Shot using the Top Note die, and then I was going to stamp on it using the BG stamp called Polka Dot, but saw that it wasn't in the Catalog and figured since it's not a "seasonal" stamp in any way, that surely it wasn't on the Dormant List.  I hadn't been as good at paying attention to retiring sets this last go-around so I figured I must have not noticed it.  So...my plan to stamp the Polka Dots in VersaMark and then emboss them with clear embossing powder didn't work.  I was sad.  Then I thought, "well, I can use the polka dot Texturz platethat I have."  I pulled it out and decided to go with the larger polka dots in the Texturz plates set.  Then, I had to cut all of the Kiwi Kiss Top Notes in half and layer them on top of the Basic Gray ones.  After doing that, I was going to tie a ribbon around the "seam" where the Kiwi Kiss layer ended, but discovered that, unfortunately when you try and tie ribbon around this part of the Top Note, especially when you're dumb and cut the Top Note exactly in half, it just doesn't work.  So...plan B was to paper pierce to add a little horizontal element at the "joint" to draw the focus away at least a little from the "seam".  The rest of the card should be self-explanatory and went as planned.  I did later discover, much to my dismay, that the Polka Dot BG stamp is in fact DORMANT, not RETIRED!!!  Oh well....It think it's a cute card - it is very much "my style".  After getting the other gals' swap cards though, I really wish I could be more of a Shabby Chic/lots of layers/lots of textures kind of stamper, but I'm just not....

All supplies are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Trendy Trees
Paper:  Kiwi Kiss, Basic Gray, Kraft and Whisper White CS
Ink:  Kiwi Kiss and Chocolate Chip classic ink
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, SU! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate, Wide Oval punch, Clear Button, Linen Thread, needle, 5/8" Striped Kiwi Kiss Grosgrain Ribbon, Paper Piercing Tool and Template

Sketch #5, Paper Popsicles and a Sneak Peek

Are you wondering what Paper Popsicles is?  If you click on their name, you can see their website and it's the company that's sponsoring this week's sketch over at Card Patterns, which you can check out HERE and also see the cards of the rest of the DT.  Paper Popsicles is giving away the goodies you see to the left to one lucky (random) winner who submits their take via Mr. Linky over on the Card Patterns blog for sketch #5.  As always, another winner will be chosen (not randomly, but rather by the DT) as the winner of this week's sketch and will get to be a Guest Designer for Sketch #7.  So...who doesn't want to win the goodies you see here, and who wouldn't want to be a Guest Designer for Card Patterns?!?!  Make sure you let me know if you play along, and be sure to leave a link via Mr. Linky on the CP blog that takes us to the post/gallery containing your card (straight to the card if it's not in a post that you can link to).  I would love to come and leave some love by commenting on your cards!!!

Here's mine for this week:

You can't tell, but I did run the Basic Gray layer through my Big Shot with the SU! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate with the big polka dots on it.  It looks nice in real life.  This was a really fun sketch to work with and I even dusted off my trusty Janome Sew-Mini and did some sewing!!  I also used a stamp set and punch that will be available in the Occasions Mini Catalog from SU! on April 1st.  I love them both - hope you like the sneak peek!!  I'm excited to see you over at CP this week!

All supplies used are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Friends 24-7, Oval All (Occasions Mini '09)
Paper:  Baja Breeze, Basic Black and Whisper White CS, Basic Gray Textured CS
Ink: Basic Black and Baja Breeze Classic Ink
Accessories:  Big Shot, SU! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate, Scallop Oval Punch (Occasions Mini '09), Designer Brads (Filigree), Clear Rhinestone Brads, 1" Double Stitched Baja Breeze ribbon,  Basic Black ribbon from Valet Ribbon Originals pkg, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Paper Piercing Tool and Template, Blending Pen (to color flowers), Sewing Machine (Janome Sew-Mini) and white thread

Another One...

So, here's the other baby boy card I mentioned in THIS post.  I like this one the most of the two.  What do you think?

Definitely subscribe to my blog via Google Reader or via the Feedburner link in my left-hand sidebar.  My hubby got home from a 2 week "trip" to Africa for the Air Force this past Sunday and he leaves for another "trip" tomorrow morning.  My stamping time is sparse, but I do have some swaps to share with you.  For now I'll probably be posting every other day at most.  Thanks for bearing with me.  Lots of things going on with the kids - various issues that require trips to doctors, etc.  So, take care, and until the next post.... :)

All supplies SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Congrats (SAB 2009), Nursery Necessities
Paper:  Bashful Blue and Whisper White CS, Delicate Dots DSP (SAB 2009)
Ink:  Bashful Blue classic ink
Accessories:  Bashful Blue 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge punch

Baby Boy Card

 

I showed everyone the baby girl card I made for my husband's squadron to use for new baby girls that members of the squadron have.  Well, these are three of the six baby boy cards I made.  Again I used the monochromatic challenge from the Great Swaps Girls blog to come up with the colors.  You should check it out here.  I think it's cute.  I decided to change the LO of the elements a little for the last three and I'll show you that card later.  I also have some Great Swaps Girls cards to share, but I need to give those a few more days so that hopefully the gals have gotten them before I share them.  Anyway, life is still crazy for me and today we had a snow day so all three of my little munchkins are at home, I had some cards to make, I have an event for church tomorrow night that I'm heading up to get ready for, and I have a friend staying with me while her kiddo gets some surgery done here in the states (they are in the Air Force and are stationed overseas at a base where the surgery can't be performed).  So....posts will probably be spaced every other day for a while now.  Hope you're all doing well!!!

All supplies used are SU! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Congrats (SAB 2009), Nursery Necessities
Paper:  Bashful Blue and Whisper White CS, Delicate Dots DSP (SAB 2009)
Ink:  Bashful Blue classic ink
Accessories:  Bashful Blue 1/2" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge punch