Oh 'deer' it's almost new years...

Hello! Once again, time has slipped away and the post I intended for Christmas day didn't happen.  So even if I didn't post, know that I was wishing everyone a very happy Christmas season!  I even had a card to share...

I always try to make some Christmas themed thank you cards to give to friends and family.  This year I went with a very simple idea-a reindeer face.  DH didn't think everyone would immediately see the deer, so I added a mouth.  Of course, the inside sentiment gave it away anyway!

The card was so easy to replicate. The hardest part was using the corner rounder on the top where it was two layers... I created the inside using MDS and a variety of stamps and text I had on the program.

I hope you have a wonderful, healthy, and peace filled new year! Thanks so much for visiting and have a fantastic day!

Card Recipe: Paper-soft suede, basic black, real red, Accessories-3/4 and 1 3/8 circle punches, MDS software program

Cozy Little Christmas Card

Hello!  I'm so glad you stopped in again!  My mini break taking care of DH has come to an end and I'm back to work again.  It was actually pretty nice having the time to get the decorations up and I even did a little baking.  I didn't get a ton of crafting time though.  However, I did manage to make a few cards using the Snow Festival DSP that was in my paper pile.

This pattern reminds me of a cozy warm sweater that someone's granny may have made as a gift, so I'm going with the cozy little Christmas card theme!  The hardest part was finding a way to add a sentiment without taking away from the sweater theme.  I probably spent over an hour thinking and testing out different ideas.  I finally settled on the layered circle oval with a little soft suede distressing around the edges to make them stand out from the white and baja breeze on the pattern.  It took me another 10 minutes to get the right sharpie shading for the enamel dots so they went with the colors as well.

I ended up making 6 of these and now I think my card stash might just be complete!  Now I just need to get those Christmas stamps purchased and address those envelopes... Wish me luck!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day.  Happy crafting!  For my fellow Christians of German descent, Happy Feast Day of St. Nicholas! Hope he brought you something wonderful!

Anything But a Card Challenge-Summer Lovin'

Hi! I am so happy you stopped by today!  It's my turn to share my project for the Summer Lovin' challenge at Anything But a Card Challenges.  I am sure that for most people, summer brings to mind beaches, barbecues, and swimming. Those are all marvelous summer activities, but in our household, summer has always meant SOFTBALL!  So I created a scrapbook page of DD#2 playing softball.  

This was her second year of softball-back when it was all about the cute socks, visor that matched the uniform, and picking clover in the outfield.  Now she is much less concerned about the socks, traded her visor for ultra cool sunglasses, and enjoys the constant activity of playing third base.  Of course, you can still catch her and her teammates giggling in the dugout, probably about boys... Sigh...

I started with a softball themed dp which made the background quite simple.  I did dress up the letter o in softball with a handmade softball embellishment.  I also added 'stitching' to the yellow mat.  The softballs on the journaling card were made using the retired stamp set, Home Run.

I hope my softball page has encouraged you to document your favorite summer activity too!  If you're not into scrapbooking, why not try an ATC, art journal page, mixed media, or just about anything else you can think of!  We would love for you to link up with us!!

Page Recipe: Paper-softball dp (not sure of creator), crumb cake, yellow cardstock from my stash, Stamp Set-Home Run, Just Journaling, Ink-crumb cake, real red, Accessories-1 3/8" circle punch, 1" circle punch, real red stitched ribbon

If you give a cardmaker scraps...

...she will make a birthday card!  I am frequently teased about the scraps of cardstock and pattern paper that  I save. "Oh wait! There's still an eighth of an inch of paper there..." ha...ha...ha...

I'm not quite that bad, but I do save pieces that I think can be used, including strips of white cardstock that are 1/2 an inch wide.  Why? They are the perfect size to use with the word window punch and the bitty banners!  I also save smaller pieces of ribbon that can be folded and tucked to dress up an image or turned into something else.  These scraps also keep me from cutting into a full sheet of paper when I only need a tiny piece, and stretch a spool of ribbon just a bit further!

I was in desperate need of some birthday cards, especially kids and gender neutral.  I came across the dinosaur image that I made ages ago and put in my "Do Something With This" box.  We won't talk about how many things are in there... I made this paper pieced dinosaur shortly after I made this card.  The background paper just looked like dinosaur skin! So I used the scraps (seeing a pattern here?) to stamp and paper piece this awesome guy!

notice the scrap of paper used for the banner!

I also made a gender neutral card because sometimes I forget birthdays (gasp!) and then need to grab a card as I walk out the door.  These are great for those occasions!  I managed to use smaller pieces of cardstock for most of this card, but the best scrap use is the ribbon scrap as the tails of the badge.

Now I have a few more cards in my file and a few less scraps hanging around! Bonus!!

I hope you are having a wonderful week and perhaps you'll spend a day digging through your scraps too! Who knows what you might find?!  Thanks so much for visiting!!

Card #1 Recipe: Paper-crumb cake, garden green, whisper white, Woodland Walk DSP (ret), Ink-garden green, crumb cake, stazon black, Stamp Set-Dinoroar (ret), Accessories-pastels, bitty banners framelit, big shot

Card #2 Recipe: Paper-whisper white, daffodil delight, old olive, Ink-night of navy, old olive, Stamp Set-Blue Ribbon, Accessories-circle framelit, 2 1/2 " scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, perfect polka dot embossing folder, chevron embossing folder, denim ribbon

Mission Impossible

Hello! I am so thrilled that you are here!  We are half way through the week and I am ready for the weekend!!  My mom pulled a muscle in her back a few weeks ago and I've been doing double duty between my house and theirs. The recent colder temperatures  and the early arrival of lambs has made things a little stressful and I'm looking forward to a break!  Add to that all of the yucky snow and sleet that we received yesterday and I am ready for a new start! Is it Friday yet? But I digress...

Have you ever been struck by the fact that you're fighting a losing battle?  Like getting all of the laundry washed, dried, folded, and put away and then you turn around and BOOM! A clothes bomb has exploded in your laundry room?  Or that moment when you let the dishwater out of the sink because you KNOW you checked the entire house for stray cups and all of the dishes are clean, only to have one of the kids bring you a cereal bowl from under their bed (not that they are allowed to eat cereal in bed!)?  Yeah, me too!

I would love to say that I scrapbooked all of my photos (I wish!), but actually I just realized that while I have completed a lot of scrapbook pages, there are still a LOT of photos left and that doesn't include the ones that are still on my memory cards waiting to be printed, or the ones on the computer waiting to be dropped on a digital page.  I have decided that I'm like an agent on Mission Impossible.  My mission if I choose to accept it, is to get as many photos onto some sort of page and document the story as accurately as my mind will allow.  I will probably never achieve the status of Mission Completed, but at some point I have got to start making some sort of progress!  One goal that I think I might actually achieve is to use up all of the older 12x12 cardstock papers.  I am at the point where there are mostly oranges and yellows left on the pile and I'm thinking they may become some sort of card boxes at some point.  My ribbon and embellishments are a totally different story, but one mission at a time!

Today's page used the last of my older pink stash.  I also snuck a few vellum letter stickers on there. Those babies are OLD!

I had a hard time selecting a layout for this page.  I wanted all five photos on one page and was trying to figure out how to make it work.  I remembered that a long time ago, I had made a quilt-like page that had lots of pictures and thought that might work.  The hardest part was balancing the embellishments.  I have such a hard time with 'white' space.  But when I was finished, I managed to have all five photos and even a tiny shot of my in-law's Lab.  Shadow loves her and he couldn't bear for me to throw her in the trash bin!

Well, I better slip on my black sunglasses and get back to being an agent.  I just have to decide whether my mission will involve dishes, laundry, or pictures...  Wish me luck!

Page Recipe: Paper-pink base from stash, strawberry slush, pistachio pudding, Stamp Set-Just Journaling, Ink-crumb cake, pistachio pudding, black journaling marker, Accessories-paper daisies, Boho blossom punch, bitty butterfly punch, 1 3/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, Martha Stewart leaf punch, dazzling details, green vellum stickers from stash.

Day 10-Out with the old...

Hello! I can not believe that in 15 short days, we will be celebrating Christmas... How can a celebration that never changes dates sneak up on you???  Please tell me I'm not alone!

I am happy to say that I'm very close to being finished with my cards!  I am also glad that I have been using a lot of my supplies that I've had for a while.  I am really trying to commit myself to only keeping things I use or love.  Of course crafting supplies have to be replenished, but I could probably go quite a while without buying anything! So I am making an effort to use up a lot of my goodies instead of just adding to the supplies!!

Today's card uses many retired items that haven't been used in a while.  I pretty much CASEd this card from France Martin.  I saw her card a LONG time ago and saved the photo to my computer (prePinterest days...), but didn't save the actual link to her blog post.  But I still wanted to give her credit since I loved her card so much!  I used corduroy brads where she used bakers twine and jingle bells, and the background embossing & DSP is different, but otherwise it's almost exactly like hers.

I really enjoyed breaking out the red glimmer paper again and I LOVE those brads-so sad they're no longer available...but I parted with some all the same.  I also forgot how fussy those bits of stocking are to handle.  I may have muttered a few choice words as I tried to glue them perfectly to the glimmer paper...  But in the end, it really is a pretty, sparkly card!

I have some major Christmas shopping to do this week and I'm hoping to have most of it done by the weekend.  I would love to have everything wrapped and ready by next week, but I'm not sure that will happen! Gotta be realistic...

I am so glad you stopped by and I really appreciate my blog friends that leave such wonderful comments.  It makes my day even happier!  I hope you have a wonderful day and find some time amid the busyness to do something fun!

Card Recipe: Paper-whisper white, ruby red (ret), baja breeze (ret), old olive, red glimmer paper, Holiday Treasures DSP (ret), Accessories-1 3/8" circle punch, large scallop punch, stocking builder punch (ret), baja breeze corduroy buttons (ret), snowburst embossing folder (ret), dazzling details

Anything But a Card's Manly Challenge and another graduation card

Hello! So glad you stopped in today! Sunday marked the start of the new challenge at Anything But a Card.  Since we will be celebrating Father's Day soon (in the US anyway), our challenge is anything masculine or something for Dear Ol' Dad.  Remember, we accept any type of art-sewing, mixed media,  scrapbooking, altered items, ATCs... anything BUT a card!  I will be sharing my project next week (need to get busy on that...) and I hope that you will join us too!

Now, on to my card... We celebrated another graduation this past weekend.  I decided to change things up a bit from my last graduation card found here.  I also managed to use up a scrap piece of so saffron paper that was laying on my table!!  My niece's school colors are green and gold, but I thought the so saffron and gumball green were a little softer and more girly.  I colored the rhinestones with a pale green sharpie so they would coordinate with my card colors.  

We had a wonderful time at her party and my brother put together an 'old farts' volleyball team to challenge the younger crowd.  We all cheered when they won, but joked that the 'young punks' would easily beat them in a rematch the next day!  I'm sure some of them were a little stiff Sunday morning!

We have been having some minor mishaps at our house this week.  Half of our house was without electricity this weekend and DH has been using all of his construction expertise to fix it.  He ended up running some new wiring for a few of our outlets and lights.  Hopefully this will fix our issues.  We are planning on building  in a year and hate to do too much to fix our old mobile home, but wiring isn't one of those things we can bypass!  For some reason we seem to think we need air conditioning and lights...

On a happier note, I did find a little time to play this weekend and have some cards to post for Flashback Friday and I'm working on a few other things too.  I hope you have a wonderful day and find some time to be crafty too! Happy crafting!

Card Recipe: Paper-whisper white, so saffron, Ink-gumball green, Stamp Set-Blue Ribbon, Accessories-gumball green ribbon, rhinestones, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch

A Blue Ribbon in Paper Diving

Hello! I'm so glad you came by for a visit today! I am so excited that I actually found time this past week to make stuff!  Now I don't have to feel guilty about the things I ordered from the NEW Stampin' UP! catalog that started June 1st!  If you would like to view the catalog, click here...

And if you find something(s) you just cannot live without, 

feel free to visit my online store located here.

Now, you would think that with the launch of the new catalog, I would be sharing some of my new goodies, right? Sorry...  But the stamp set I used for today's card is available!  The DSP is a completely different story. It is part of the 'old stash' that I organized while spring summer cleaning.       I haven't used this paper in ages and decided that I would dive in and pull it out to make a few cards for Operation Write Home.  I have always thought this was such a wonderful organization, and I finally have the time to contribute! They also have some wonderful sketches; I used bonus sketch B-1 for these cards.

I made a few other cards with this paper, but you'll have to wait until Friday to see those. I'm trying to get back into posting Flashback Fridays, using my older, retired goodies.  It's a good way to ensure that all of my supplies get used!

Well, it's a rainy, gloomy day here, so I'm off to enjoy my coffee and a book! Happy crafting!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-Rainbow Sherbet (ret), tempting turquoise, whisper white, Stamp Set-Blue Ribbon, Ink-tempting turquoise, green galore (ret), Accessories-1 3/8" circle punch

Congrats, Grad!

Do not adjust your computer monitor! Yes, you really are seeing a midweek post from me!  My poor neglected supplies got dusted off this past weekend to make a graduation card for a very special young man, my nephew! I have plans to clean up my crafting table this week so I can actually find everything again and be productive.  Wish me luck!  I would have done this already, but the weather has been beautiful here and I've been working in our little garden and planting some flowering bushes while I can.

My nephew also graduated this past weekend so it's been a little hectic here.  He is such a kindred spirit and we are often partners in crime in driving his mother, my sister, crazy!  She is a little concerned about him going off to college in the fall, but I know he will be amazing and can't wait to see what he accomplishes in his life.  He is very intelligent, loves to read, and has a wonderful sense of humor.  Did I mention I think he's very special?!  But enough of that, here is his card...

Apologies in advance for the picture! It was very overcast when I took the picture and I couldn't get a good shot.  I had the hardest time putting this together!  Every patterned paper, ribbon, and embellishment that fit the color scheme seemed too girly to me.  I wasn't crazy about the dotty paper, but it was the least girly I had in real red.  I actually took the star buttons from DD#1's stash and colored some white bakers twine with my basic black marker. I think I'll have an easier time with my niece's card next week.

I want to take a minute and send a message to any blogging friends who were affected by the  recent tornados and storms.  My heart goes out to the families dealing with such loss and devastation.  I can not begin to imagine what that feels like.  My family is keeping all of you in our prayers.  Hugs!

I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week and that you find some time to be crafty too!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-whisper white, real red, real red DSP, Ink-black stazon, Stamp Set-Blue Ribbon, Accessories-chevron folder, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, basic black grosgrain ribbon, bakers twine, star buttons (from DD#1 stash)

Not really a Flashback Friday, but I'm calling it that anyway!

In case you didn't know, IT'S FRIDAY!!! Not only is it Friday, but it is the first Friday of our return to school after Christmas Break, which makes it even more precious!!!  I missed my 'kids' and I think they missed me, but WOW! The overabundance of energy and temporary amnesia of all classroom rules and routines really wore me out!  I am so glad that I have a two day break to recover and recharge!  Plus, I am taking a little time this weekend to get some much needed scrapbooking done.  But that's not why I'm here today!

Over Christmas break, I knew I needed to make some thank you cards for my students and others who had so generously shared the holiday spirit with me.  If you read Tuesday's post, you know that most of my break was a mojo free period, but fortunately, I located it before returning to work and finished the cards on Sunday.  I also had a little help from my blogging friend, Heather.  She had the cutest punch art snowman card and when I saw it, I knew that I wanted to do something like that for my 'kids'.  If my post title was a bit confusing (and drawn out), it is because technically I didn't use up any old stash other than some glitter glue.  But I did use a retired stamp set and a TON of whisper white scraps that had been accumulating in a bag to make 30 of these, so I'm calling it a Flashback!

I spent most of the day making these babies! Fussy cutting 30 hats was a job in itself! It ended up being something of an assembly line production, but for whatever reason, what normally would have been tedious was actually relaxing as I watched my girls 'bust a move' with Just Dance as I colored, cut, punched, stamped, and glued.

I stamped the snowflakes in whisper white craft ink on the background and also sponged a little whisper white to make the snow covered ground under the snowman. It's hard to see in the picture, but I added some silver glitter glue to the hat band and put a dot of pink glitter glue in the center of the flower.  I think you can probably figure out the rest!

Well, that's it for me! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and find lots of time to be crafty!!

Card Recipe:  Cardstock-wild wasabi, whisper white, rose red, bashful blue, Stamp Sets- Snow Swirled, Curly Cute, Cold Play (ret), Ink-whisper white, black stazon, Markers-bashful blue, wild wasabi, pumpkin pie, Accessories-3/4", 1", 1 3/8" circle punches, non SU snowflake punch, corner rounder, pink and silver glitter glue from stash, rhinestones

Color Me Beautiful Challenge #11-A Christmas Flashback

Is it really Friday?! This has been the craziest week and I don't feel like I have accomplished anything, even though I have been running around like a chicken!!  I also realized that the annual arts and crafts festival that we attend is in a week!! That means Christmas is WHEN?!  I am not going to count the days because then I would really start to worry!!  But enough of my whining...

The challenge at Color Me Beautiful, this week, is sure to inspire the Christmas spirit!  Although... if you are not moved by the Christmas spirit, you could easily use these colors for any other project as well!

Try as I might, I could not get primrose petals to cooperate with the other colors.  Who knew it could be such an anti-social color... :p   But I DID use some Spice Cake DSP!! Go figure! 

I'm not sure that I'm finished tweaking this card... A little too much 'space' for my liking, maybe another stocking? The other ladies on the design team managed to succeed where I struggled and are sharing their fabulous creations at the challenge blog, so be sure to go visit them. And if you are so inclined, we would love to see what you can do with these beautiful colors!!

I managed to pull out some retired goodies for this card and it's Friday, so I'm calling this my most recent Flashback Friday card!

Today I am baking cookies for DD#2's fall festival, but I'm hoping to multi-task and get some creating done as well!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and find some time to be crafty too!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-sahara sand, real red, soft suede, very vanilla, red glimmer paper, Spice Cake DSP (ret), Stamp Set-Bells and Boughs, Ink-soft suede, Accessories-1 3/8" circle punch, scallop oval punch, stocking punch (ret), linen thread

Tiffany's Color and Sketch Challenge

This has been one crazy week! Trying to get the girls back into the school routine while I'm putting in long hours preparing for school is not an easy thing to accomplish!!  I managed to make one more card for our Stampin' UP team meeting before the madness started!

Our team leader, Tiffany, gives us a sketch and some cardstock every month and challenges us to make a card using the colors and sketch together!  This month our colors were Calypso Coral, Baja Breeze, and Daffodil Delight.  I'm not sure that I have ever used Calypso Coral before this card!

I have to admit that the color combo really threw me.  I was having a hard time coming up with a plan that balanced the colors properly.  After going through my various DSPs, I came across Summer Smooches which contained two of the three colors.  It was a little easier from there.

I went completely away from my CAS roots and added lots of layers and a bunch of pearls!  I think it turned out pretty good!  I'll get to share this with my crafty sistahs next weekend.  We always have so much fun!

We had a pretty good rain storm Thursday night and the temperature today was actually a little cooler.  Just the thing I needed to motivate me to create the fall theme projects for my club meeting!  Good thing since we are meeting tomorrow...did I mention how crazy my week has been?!  I will be posting my new fall creations over the next few days and before long, I will have some Christmas gifts in the works.  Have a wonderful weekend and happy crafting!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-calypso coral, baja breeze, daffodil delight, whisper white, Summer Smooches DSP, Subtles Pack DSP, Ink-calypso coral, Stamp Set-Just Believe, Accessories-basic pearls, 1 3/8" circle punch, large scallop circle punch, baja breeze seam binding

Scrapbook Monday with the Triple T

Well, so far so good on the resolution to post a layout once a week! It helps that some of my blogging buddies have been checking in to see if I remembered : )

Today's layout used a sketch from Top Tip Tuesday designed by the ever talented, Lisa.  There are two sketches to choose from  and I used the CAS sketch earlier to make a Valentines card, but this one struck me as a scrapbook layout.  TIP TIME:  I have to admit that the angled piece threw me at first, then the logical half of my brain (the part that usually doesn't kick in until I've goofed up) said "Cut the piece to the width you want, then angle it on the page and use a ruler to draw your angles. DUH!!!" (my logic section is not very polite to the rest of my brain) So, if you are struggling with parallelograms or trapezoids, this is my suggestion!  Now to switch off the logic and let the creative and fun part take over lest everyone think they are back in math class. YIKES!!

The banner came from the Apothecary Art stamp set and only took a little fussy cutting to make it. I really like that! My flower was made using multiple layers of the boho blossom punch and the pretty pink rhinestones were colored with a pink sharpie. I LOVE this money saving technique and there's almost no limit to the colors I can create!

Even with the layers and circles, the page remains uncluttered and the photo is still the main element. Now all I need to do is add a little journaling to the page and it's finished.  I still have a stack of Christmas pictures taunting me and they keep getting put back in the photo box.  Maybe next week they will finally make it onto a page and into a book!

I also want to take a minute and thank everyone who visits, follows, and comments on my blog! Whether your comment is encouraging, witty, or advising, I really appreciate the feedback! Especially since my DH (bless his little heart!) says such wonderful things like "Looks OK to me." or "What do you mean, does it need anything else?".  He is incredibly supportive when it comes to a messy table, late dinners, and a ton of supplies that he doesn't understand exactly what they do, only that I need them! So I guess I can't complain too much!!  Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you come back soon!

Page Recipe:  Cardstock-Sending Love DSP (ret), very vanilla, real red, pretty in pink, and the base is from my stash, Ink-soft suede, chocolate chip, Stamp Set- Apothecary Art, Accessories-1 3/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, Boho blossom punch, houndstooth folder, chocolate chip corduroy button (ret), real red brad

Card Swap

As this post is hitting my blog, I will be living it up in Louisville, KY for the Stampin' UP regional event!! I am carpooling with several of my Crafty SisTAHS and we are going to have a great time!  Since this is my first SU event, I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I know I'll have lots of fun (after all, it's a day full of stamping goodness, how can  it be anything but fun?!).  My upline told all of us to be sure to make card fronts for swapping because there are so many wonderful ideas out there and it's a fun way to meet people and trade talents.  So my 32 card fronts are with me and I hope to have some fabulous new ones to share when I come home!  Here is my card front...

 I wanted to have the sentiment backed by the DSP, but didn't want to be limited to fitting it in a smaller circle, so I temporarily stuck a strip of very vanilla (not sure what size, I used scraps) to a 2" strip of DSP, then I punched the circle and had a perfect area for stamping my sentiment.  I also distressed the edges of everything using soft suede ink and a sponge dauber.

Card Recipe: Cardstock-very vanilla, pear pizzazz, Spice Cake DSP, Ink-soft suede, pastels, Stamp Set-Faith in Nature, Accessories-square lattice embossing folder, 1 3/8 circle punch, linen thread

Some Halloween Treats

I just finished making over 30 Halloween treat bags for my preschoolers and wanted to share a quick picture of the tags I made for the bags. (If I didn't have to make so many, I would consider making the treat boxes, but goodness... that's a lot of treat boxes!)  I'm also sharing a picture of a really 'sweet' treat we made at our last team meeting.  I am making several of these for our trick or treaters and some close friends. Both of these projects were pretty simple, which is wonderful when you have a lot to make!  I also noticed that the challenges at Simply Stampin Challenge and Top Tip Tuesday were Halloween and Trick or Treat.  My creations fit both categories!!  So I also get to play along with a few challenge sites too!!
 Top Tip Tues was also asking for tips (who would have thought?!) and I thought I would share a tip that saves time.  When I already have my supplies out and my mojo is working, I usually create a few extra images or embellishments to use on a future project.  I made a few extra scallop tags to use on my kid's scrapbook pages.

Recipe for treat tags: Cardstock-rich razzleberry, the white is not SU (old stash) and I could tell a huge difference when I stamped my images..., Ink-Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Stamp Set-Batty for You

Recipe for Mummy: Hershey bar, Basic black cardstock (to glue the wiggle eyes on), wiggle eyes, white crepe paper

Holiday Mini Swap

This month I decided to join our team's monthly card swap.  The theme was 'Holiday Mini' and we are to use at least one item from the mini on our swap card.  I knew I wanted to use the beautiful DSP Spice Cake and found an old sketch (not sure where it was from...) that would work perfectly for my card.  To keep from ruining the surprise, I've had to post this for a later date so the participating team members don't have a sneak peek!!

The flowers were made with the floral fusion sizzlet.  I've had this for ages and recently rediscovered it. Sometimes I think I might have too much to play with, but then I chase those crazy thoughts out of my head ;D  

Card Recipe: Cardstock-very vanilla, soft suede, pool party, Spice Cake DSP, Ink-more mustard, Stamp Set-Batty for You, Accessories-floral fusion sizzlet, basic rhinestones, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, pear pizzazz seam binding, dimensionals

A Little Spice Cake!

When I first saw the Holiday Mini, I fell in love with the Spice Cake DSP, but since I couldn't buy EVERYTHING at once, I had to wait to order it! This month, my stampin' club made this card.  I really like the pumpkin from Batty for You and thought this makes the card a little more versatile than the other Halloween themed stamps in this set.

We used the square punch to make the clipped edges of the dsp. Soft Suede is the perfect color to 'age' paper and we used it on the edges of every piece of paper on this card!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-very vanilla, soft suede, Spice Cake dsp, Ink-soft suede, more mustard, Stamp Set-Batty for You, Accessories- linen thread, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8 circle punch, square punch, dimensionals

Jr Varsity cards

OK, quiz time...Who remembers the year of the DSP Jr Varsity? That's right, it's from the 2008 catalog! Well, in an effort to use up some of my stash, I was digging through a container of retired paper and found Jr. Varsity! I have really got to start using up my DSP!! So, today's post is a couple of cards I made using the very retired, JV!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-old olive, whisper white, bashful blue, Jr. Varsity DSP, Ink- bashful blue, Stamp Sets- Riveting and Birthday Wish (both ret), Accessories-corner, scallop circle, and 1 3/8 circle punch, whisper white 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Eeek! A Halloween Card!

Halloween is not my favorite holiday.  When I was younger I loved it and watching all of the scary movies went right with the spooky day.  I think as I've matured (a sophisticated way of saying I'm getting old!) I have seen enough real scary things that the make believe scary just isn't 'fun' anymore. Add that to the meanness that seems to surface more at this time of year and it just doesn't have much appeal now.  I still enjoy helping my kids dress up and visit family and close friends for Trick or Treating and the girls and my husband always try to 'out do' last year's pumpkin carving.  Having said this, I did like the spider web embossing folder (I know...doesn't make sense, especially since I do not like spiders...) I really liked the idea of being able to ink the raised image or distress it with sanding.  Plus, it makes a great 'Wow! You're old' card too!  Hope you enjoy my 'spooky' card!

Card Recipe: Cardstock-whisper white, basic black, rich razzleberry DSP (brights collection), Ink-whisper white, rich razzleberry, Stamp Set-Sweet Centers, Accessories-spider web embossing folder, 1 3/4 circle punch,1 3/8 circle punch, rich razzleberry ribbon

Play Ball!

My nephew has always been a baseball junkie! He played as soon as he was able and often played on travel teams as well as the local leagues. His birthday is next month and I finally decided to break down and buy the stamp set Home Run. This will also come in handy as both of my girls play softball!

Card Recipe: cardstock-real red, basic black, whisper white, ink-crumb cake and real red, stamp set- Home Run, accessories-square lattice embossing folder, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch