Meet my kids...

...my furry kid and my smooth kid. I saw this sketch from 52 sketches...52 weeks...I already knew I wanted to do this Inspiration Challenge...Add a Little Spring to your Layout. It kind of all came together over the course of three days. I just needed to find some pics! Then I found these I had taken in June 2006. I love these pictuers.

Our challenge was to create a layout using the following supplies:

S- use shaped paper. I used the shaped paper from Making Memories Flower Patch that I found in the Stampin FlyBabies Spring 2009 Craft Kit.

P- use patterned paper strips. A perfect way to use up scrap paper strips.

I- ink up those edges. A little bit of thinking here. I decided rather than try to match...coordinate. So I inked the edges of the Blush Blossom panel with Taken with Teal Classic Ink.

N- add some nature to your page; butterflies, flowers, bugs, trees, etc. Butterflies and flowers.

G- glitz up your page with glitter or gems. The Making Memories Flower Patch paper I cut the circle from has glitter accents. I also added Making Memories Rhinestone brads to the primas.

Jennipher must have forgotten the R...

Here's a close up of the top of the page. I used the Tim Holtz Grungeboard flourishes again. They didn't look right naked...so I dressed them up by smooshing in Blush Blossom Craft Ink and dumping on clear EP.

It's lotsa fun trying to heat emboss grungeboard. YA...right. It was quite an adventure trying to figure out how to hold it with the tweezers so it gets heated. Grungeboard is quite floppy. After it cooled off, I popped that big flourish on pop dots.

Here's the middle portion of the layout. Here you can see the inking of the edges and a bit more of the pictures. I distressed the edges of the circle and the patterned paper strips with a distresser tool. You can also get a detailed look at the many patterns of the paper in this layout. They all coordinate nicely.

Here's the embellishments at the bottom of the page. That one...I ran through my Xyron.

How much I enjoy those lazy June & July summer days with my kids...the furry kid and the smooth kid. They are coming up soon!

Supplies:
Paper: Making Memories Flower Patch, SU! Blush Blossom, PTI White
Ink: SU! Blush Blossom Craft, SU! Taken with Teal Classic
Accessories: Tim Holtz Grungeboard, SU! Clear Embossing Powder, SU! Heat Gun, Tweezers, Powder Pals tray, Pop Dots, Primas, Making Memories Rhinestone Brads, glue dots, Making Memories distresser tool, sticky strip, Exacto knife, dinner plate, paper cutter, Xyron

Set of Six Photo Cards and Gift Box

I made six cards and decorated a clear box with scraps from the Stampin Flybabies Spring 2009 Craft Kit. I just could not throw that gorgeous ribbon away. And look at the acetate butterfly! It matches the card I showed you yesterday!

Wanna peek at what's inside?

I took pictures of my flowers, printed these off and attached to PTI White cardstock. I decorated the picture cards with rub-ons from Stampin Up!

Easy, elegant and unique!

SUPPLIES:
Paper: PTI White, Making Memories Flower Patch
Accessories: Rub-ons from SU!, Basic Grey Rub-on tool, glue dots, sticky strip, Making Memories Flower Patch ribbon, brad & die cut, photos, Big Shot, Bigz Butterfly die

Happy Mother's Day Cards

Wanna see the card I made for Mom & Grandma for Mother's Day?


I had received this printed acetate DP in the Stampin' Flybabies Spring 2009 Craft Kit. One sheet...I wanted to get my "money's worth" out of it! I love it. But I was still trying to come up with ideas on how to use it. Unique ways that pack some punch. I decided to run it through the Big Shot with the Butterfly Bigz Die! Oh WOW! I love these butterflies! I mounted these on the side.


Diane will be please to know I've just about used up all my buttons. She'll probably be more pleased when I use them ALL up. Just a few left. The bottom panel was created from paper scraps mounted on a scalloped piece of PTI White. The butterflies and buttons are attached with glue dots. The glue dot does NOT show under the acetate!

Here's my inspiration for this card: me sale-a-bration card from maryloves2stamp's gallery on SCS.

Later on, I'll show you the matching gift box and some of the unique cards inside.

SUPPLIES:
Paper: Barely Banana, Making Memories Flower Patch, PTI White
Accessories: Making Memories Flower Patch Buttons, Barely Banana ribbon match, sticky strip, glue dots, SU! Scallop Border Punch, Big Shot, Bigz Butterfly Die

Meet Suzy Q

Or should I say...Suzy Qute! What a doll. She's a sweetheart...she loves her admirers and loves to ham it up for the camera. I've not had a little calf with such an outgoing personality like Suzy Q before. The Cub Scouts were over on Friday night for a Raingutter Regatta. DH took them to see the calves. Suzy Q & EB in the barm. EB was bashful, Suzy Q was hammin' it up. Suzy Q has beautiful markings on her face.

Here's me using that Groovy Guave again. I remember when that SU! In Color came out...I hated it. YUCK! I even expressed that opinion to my upline and my sideline. Now...it's my favorite. Note to self...never say YUCK to any color...if ya do, it's guaranteed to become your favorite and I have to eat my words. Good thing these words are tasty. :-D

I combined several different elements to create this page. Guess I was in a really creative mood.

1. Like my layout? I can't take all the credit. The sketch was from the Weekly Card Sketch on SCS...SC225. I just love taking a card sketch and making a page.

2. See the scrolly stuff under the picture at the bottom? That's printed acetate. I found this 12 x 12 sheet of printed acetate in my Stampin' Flybabies Spring 2009 Craft Kit. I wanted to find creative ways to use this. This is way number 1. This paper is from the new Making Memories Flower Patch collection.

3. See the threaded buttons? This is another first. I love the look of threaded buttons. I found this roll of Groovy Guava stitched ribbon...never been opened yet! The buttons were in the Stampin' Flybabies Spring 2009 Craft Kit. (There must be a serious shortage of buttons somewhere...cuz this kit was chock full of buttons. OY!)

4. See the chipboard letters. I wanted something quick to fix. Hahahahaha! I think I spent several HOURS on those things! Let's see if I can remember WHAT I did. These are chipboard letters from SU! First I put Groovy Guava reinker on the letters...yeah yeah...I own every thing in Groovy Guava...so much for not liking that color. Anyway, wiped that off. Still looks like cardboard...so I put on some Gesso...then I mixed reinker in Gesso and painted that on. Then I dumped on embossing poweder and heated. Nah...decided to smear Versamark on the letters and re-heat. Still not happy, so I sanded letters. Kind of dull looking. Rubbed the Groovy Guava ink pad on the letters...decided to hit it with the heat gun...the letters not the ink pad. I learned something...you can't sand off embossing powder. Hahaha. The letters got shiny again. I left it at that and attached them with Stampin' Dimensionals. So much for a quick fix.

5. SU! has really spoiled me with these die cut stamps. I pulled out Embrace Life and sat there trying to push the bamboo image through...dang thing was stuck good. Then...doh...I realized this stamp set was not die cut. Oh brother. It should've been a clue.

6. The solid panels are textured Groovy Guava...I stamped bamboo images on one panel with Groovy Guava ink. Then flipped them over to attach with sticky strip. DOH! I stamped on the back of the textured cardstock. Kind of beats the purpose of using textured cardstock if you're gonna hide the texture.

Supplies:

Sketch - SC225

Stamps - Embrace Life

Paper - SU! Whisper White, Groovy Guave, Making Memories Flower Patch

Ink - Groovy Guava

Accessories - Groovy Guava Stitched Ribbon, Groovy Guava reinker, Versamark, SU! Clear Embossing Powder, Gesso, paintbrush, SU! heat gun, sticky strip, glue dots, buttons, tape