Fun Little Note Card

Hello everyone! The long holiday weekend has started and we are so happy! The weather is going to be great and we have some fun family things planned. I hope you all enjoy your weekend too.

This was a fun little card to make. You couldn't send it through the mail, obviously, because the envelope doesn't close. So it's something that you would give someone in person. Maybe you could attach it to a gift with a ribbon through the top or something. Anyway, to make the envelope I used the largest circle and the widest cutting blade from the Creative Memories cutting system. Then I made a score line 1 1/2 inches in from 3 sides, folded them in, and taped them in the corners. Then I placed a band of DP around it. I measured and cut the card so it would easily slide in and out of the envelope and then decorated it to coordinate. Give it a try! (Sorry the second picture is a little blurry. I didn't notice that until I came down and put it on the computer, and by then I didn't have time to re-take it.)

Supplies:

CS- Archiver's and SU

DP- Deja Views

Sentiment- Studio G

Image- SU "Doodle That"

Ribbon- JoAnn Etc

Markers- SU

Circle and slot punches- SU

Corner rounder punch- EK Success

Scallop circle- Nestabilities die

Baubles- Stamping Bella

Hang in There!

I made this card for a coworker who is going through a rough time right now. She is 5 months pregnant and her husband is starting a new business with his father (who he doesn't get along with...??). For some reason with this new job the money doesn't come in until a while after the job is done or something--I don't really understand it. They have been using her paychecks to pay the bills and don't have anything left over, so her mom has been buying their groceries for 4 weeks now. Between not having any money, listening to her husband gripe about his father, and being pregnant she is really stressed out. This is her first pregnancy too so this should be an exciting and enjoyable time for her, not a time where she should be burdened with these other worries. I put a Wal Mart gift card in this for her. I wish it could have been for a larger amount but I wanted to do something for her and encourage her to keep her chin up.

Supplies:

CS- SU certainly celery

DP- Chatterbox "Dress Stripes"

Ribbon- JoAnn's Etc.

Metal edged tag- SU

Image & sentiment- SU

Oval and photo corner punches- SU

Scallop scissors

Baubles- Stamping Bella

SU markers

Blue Thank You

Well, the work week is almost over for me, just one more day! I think I can make it. :) We're looking forward to the long holiday weekend. It's supposed to be in the 80's and nice, great weather for the race and a cookout!

This is a thank you card for my son's first communion. It's kind of simple so I could mass produce it without taking me forever. :)

Supplies:

CS- SU bashful blue, certainly celery, night of navy

Stamps- SU "Riveting" and "Fanciful Flowers"

Button- SU

Ribbon- Wal Mart

Circle punches- SU

Check These Out!

Check out these pictures on top of my sidebar of my daughter that I recently had taken. Aren't they amazing! The photographer we use is the best and we feel so blessed that we found him. Read the info below the pictures to find out why.

Directions for Gift Bag

I've had several people ask me for the measurements and directions for the gift bag I posted earlier today. So I whipped up something really quick for you. You can take a look at my directions and/or follow the link on my sidebar to the Chic n' Scratch blog site. If you go to this site just follow her link to her Stampin' Academy where she has a video tutorial on how to make this bag. Together these should explain things pretty clearly for you, but if you have any questions feel free to e-mail them to me. Good luck! Mary

1. Score a 12 x 12 piece of DP at 3 in. and 9 in.

2. Turn the paper and score at 4 1/2 in. and 7 1/2 in.

3. Fold all score lines to work them in.

4. Fold the score line of the short end side to the score line of the long end side as shown by the arrows in the photo. Do this on all four corners.

5. Bring this corner in and tape it as shown. Do this on the other side and you will have created one end of your bag. Repeat this step on the other end and you will have created the bag.

(Steps 4 and 5 can be confusing without seeing it done. This is where the video tutorial might be helpful.)

6. Each handle is made with a piece of card stock measuring 1/2 inch x 11 in. A piece of ribbon cut the same length is placed over this strip of card stock and adhered with a piece of tape in the middle.

7. The handle and flower punches are attached to the bag using a brad.

Gift Bag With Matching Cards

I have been waiting all week to post this project. I couldn't post it before today because it was a gift for my mom for Mother's day and since she looks at my blog everyday I didn't want to spoil it for her. I am just so excited with how it turned out, and she was too! I found the design on the blog site Chicken Scratch. If you would like the measurements and instructions let me know by e-mail or leaving a comment. It was really easy to make and actually very sturdy. The best part to me was that since the bag was made with 12 x 12 DP it will hold the regular size cards that I make which are 4 x 5 1/2. I put 6 matching cards and envelopes in the bag but it probably could have held 2 or 3 more. I will definitely be making more of these!

Supplies:

DP- SU "Summer Picnic"

CS- SU

Ribbon- Wal Mart

Nestabilities scallop circle dies

Image on bag- Stampendous

Image on card- Papertrey

Flowers on bag- SU Boho Blossoms punch

Brads- Michael's

I'm Back!!!

Hi everyone! I'm back and all is well. My daughter's surgery went well and even though she had a rough morning yesterday she is now feeling much better and is on the road to recovery. She has had to endure quite a lot in her short 6 years of life, much more than most adults. But it has made her brave, patient, and I believe she is much stronger for it. Thanks to all who inquired about her.

My son's First Communion went well too. He was so cute in his little suit! He was more excited that he was wearing a real tie (as apposed to a clip-on) than he was about the communion. It was so funny...when we sat back down after receiving communion I asked him what he thought of the wine. He said "It was pretty good." He paused for a moment and then asked "Is it ok if I say it was a little yucky?" I said "Sure. It's ok." So then he said "Well then, it was a little yucky." So funny!

Anyway, on to the card. This is a birthday card I made real quick today for my son to take to a birthday party this afternoon. I don't know if the birthday boy likes dinosaurs but really, what boy doesn't? I used my new baubles on it. I've seen these on a lot of cards lately and have been searching everywhere for them. I finally found them on the Stamping Bella website. They come in a huge variety of colors and are just the right size to give a card a little special accent.

Supplies:

CS- SU Really Rust and Always Artichoke

Image & sentiment- My Favorite Things

Copic markers

Circle punch- Marvy

Baubles- Stamping Bella

Cuttlebug embossing folder

No Posts Today or Tomorrow :(

Sorry everyone, no posts today or tomorrow. My daughter had surgery today and tomorrow will be filled with a post-op appointment, T-ball trophy awards, errands, cleaning the house, my son's first communion, visiting with family, and a date to the movies with my husband. Hopefully I will be able to get something turned out on Sunday. Take care and I hope you all have a good weekend! Mary

Thanks Teacher!

Well, it's that time of year again. Time to thank all the teachers who have dealt with...I mean endured...I mean taught our children so much throughout the last school year. :0) I really do think teachers have a tough job. They have the responsibility of teaching our children so much, things that will define who they will be in the future. And if that isn't daunting enough they have to do so while dealing with uncooperative parents, uncooperative children, give tests to meet state standards even though they interrupt the daily schedule, keep track of the progress of the special needs children, wipe noses, wipe bottoms, wipe puke, etc, etc. I've decided that they really need and deserve their summers off! I came to these realizations since my son started in the school system. He has an Autism Spectrum Disorder and while he is very high functioning he still has an Individual Education Plan and gets help from our school's resource team on a daily basis. I had heard horror stories from parents whose kids needed extra help at school but found their teachers unwilling to do their part of the IEPs and that it was always just a big struggle. (I must say that these stories are of other school districts-not ours.) But I have not found that at all at my son's school. The teachers are absolutely wonderful and care about my son so much! I couldn't have asked for a better education team. So I always make sure to give them a big thanks at the end of the school year.

This is one of the cards I made for them. The image is from Stamping Bella-as if you couldn't tell. The front of her desk was just the perfect place for the teacher's name. And the ribbon I got at my local scrapbooking store is just perfect for a school themed project. The sentiment is from Stampendous but I had to hand write the word "Teacher" because the one that came with the stamp was really big and wouldn't fit on the paper. I made the ruled paper by marking the blue and red lines with my SU markers and punching holes along the side--turned out pretty good I'd say. So I hope this inspires you to make or give something really good for the teachers in your life! :)

Supplies:

CS- SU

Image colored with Copics

Edges softened with Sahara Sand ink- SU

Ribbon- Scrapbook Corner & Michael's

Hardware- SU Hodgepodge Hardware

Background embossed with CB embossing folder

A Little Note

Happy Mother's Day everyone! I hope you are having as good a day as I am. My day started with breakfast in bed, and when I came downstairs after getting ready for church there were cards and gifts waiting for me. At church I received a flower and a special Mother's Day blessing. Then we all went out for a great lunch. After we got home I "played" in my craft room while my kids cleaned their rooms. How about that for a great day!?! And it's not even 4:00! I wonder what the rest of the day has in store for me.

Here is a card I made with this great little stamp set that I got at a stamp show. It's from Rubber Stamp Tapestry. I just love the delicate nature of the images. So pretty. I layered the little cream strips of CS to mimic chair rail molding so as to make the image look as if it is a picture mounted on the wall. Looks pretty real if you use your imagination. :)

Supplies:

CS- SU

DP- SU

Ink- SU

Hardware- SU

Sentiment- Stampendous

Ribbon- Michael's

Nestabilities oval die

Scallop scissors

Heartfelt Sympathy

It's Saturday and it's beautiful here! The temperature outside is only 67 degrees but there is no wind and the sun is bright and so warm. After lunch we are going to the pond by our house to do a little fishing.

This is a sympathy card that a co-worker asked me to make for a co-worker whose mother died recently. It was super easy because I used a note card that I've had laying around for a while as the background. The note card paper is really neat because it has some leaves and grass woven into it. So I just had to stamp the image, layer it with some coordinating card stock, and add ribbon. Lots of texture!

Supplies:

Note card- The Card Connection

CS- SU

Ink- SU

Sentiment & image- SU "Heartfelt Thanks"

Ticket corner punch- SU

Ribbon- JoAnn's Etc.

Flying Monkeys!!

Happy Friday everyone! Have I told you how much I love Fridays?! ;) I don't work on Fridays and while my kids are in school I am usually busy running errands, etc. But not today!! I took my daughter to kindergarten and came right home to spend the next 3 hours in my craft room. Oh, don't get me wrong. I had plenty of chores that needed to be done. But none of them were pressing things and I just didn't feel like it. I'm good at allowing myself time like that. And I'm lucky that my husband doesn't care about the cleanliness of the house and stuff like that. If you ever need encouragement or reasons to clear the guilt for a little "Me Time" call me. I can always come up with something for you! ;)

Aren't these little monkeys just the cutest? They are from Stampendous, and I colored them with my Copic markers. I haven't totally figured those markers out yet but I'm getting better. I hope you like it.

Supplies:

CS- SU real red, pumpkin pie

DP- SU Summer Picnic

Image- Stampendous

Copic Markers

Ribbon- Wal Mart

Eyelets- SU

Fun Flowers

I know...2 mid-week posts from me!! Shocker, right?! Well, I became inspired last evening and had to get this design down on paper. I know it's patting myself on the back but...I love it! It turned out just like I had envisioned it. I hope you like it too.

Supplies:

CS- SU choc chip, pretty in pink, barely banana, certainly celery, WW

Image- SU "Spring Solitude"

SU markers

SU chalks

Crystals- Me & My Big Ideas-from Michael's

Ribbon- from JoAnn's Etc

Brag Book

Hi there. I know it's unusual for me to post during the week but my husband is home early today and is taking homework duty for me! (My kids aren't the only ones looking forward to school being over!) ;) I have had this brag book done for a few days, so now I have time to post it. I found these little brag book photo albums at JoAnn's Etc. for only $2.99 and I thought they were perfect for altering and embellishing. They started out like the one on the left...not bad but could be more personal. I altered it to the one on the right. It was super easy. I just pulled out the front cover page from the inside and used that as a template to measure my DP. Then I just embellished away. My son's teacher has a little boy so I made it for her as an end of the year teacher gift.

Supplies:

DP- unknown source

CS- Archiver's and SU choc chip

Image- SU "Bundle of Joy"

Sentiment- SU "So Very"

Ribbon- Michael's

Nestabilities circle die

Pop dots

Colored image with SU watercolor pencils and water brush

Fun With Rub-ons

Happy Saturday! Tomorrow is my kids' last day of Sunday school and I forgot that they each have 2 teachers. So I needed to make a few more thank you cards. This is one I made with SU's rub-ons. They are so easy to use and look great. I thought that maybe you would be able to see the edges or see the markings from where I rubbed them. But you can't at all! I was very pleased.
Supplies:
CS- SU eggplant envy, more mustard
Rub-ons- SU "Love & Happiness"
Felt flowers- SU Flower Fusion
Brads- Michael's
Word window and ticket corner punches- SU
Scallop scissors

Shadow Box Card

Hi again! Well, another week gone. I hope it was a good one for you. The weather is great here today. I had the window open in my craft room while I was working and it was wonderful to hear the birds chirping, the wind rustling through the trees, and the wind chime softly playing. What a great feeling it gave me. If you are having good weather where you are why don't you stop the hustle and bustle of your day to just sit outside in silence and listen to the sounds of nature around you. It really warms the soul and gives peace to the heart.

On to my card. This is a card I made using the tutorial by Carol King from "My Blog". You can follow the link to it on my sidebar. It was such a fun card to make! Give it a try.

Supplies:

CS- SU not quite navy, WW

DP- Alpha Blocks

Image- SU "Just Celebrate"

Copic markers

Nestabilities circle and scallop dies

Lg and sm oval punches- SU

Ribbon- Wal Mart

Brads- Michael's

Popdots