Simple Stamping Card

When I first started out with stamping, the big thing was to make our own paper to customize our scrapbook pages and cards. Usually we would random stamp images in coordinating colors to perfectly match our photos. I haven't random stamped or made my own paper in a really long time and it made me think about those cards where you just stamped and didn't layer much or color images etc. So here's my little experiment back into the days when stamped out paper was the focus of the card. Inspiration for this card came from a letterpress card I saw a few days ago. I really liked the one bigger/darker flower focal point and then smaller supporting flowers around. I couldn't help but to add some glitz and rhinestones to pretty it up ;) The main flower is very glittery IRL, I went around all the main petal edges with stickles. Enjoy the card and have a wonderful Monday!

Let It Snow - Snowflake Challenge

I'm feeling so much better today which is a great sign since I start classes again on Tuesday. I reorganized my scrap stuff and found that I still have a ton of Christmas papers, lol. Since Sparkle's Christmas Card Challenge was up today, I decided to play with some of my Cosmo Cricket Christmasy papers and make a card. This week the challenge is to include snowflakes. I hope my photo came out alright. The last time I got online I used Paul's computer and my photos looked all yellowed. On my laptop they look just fine, but I'm wondering how they look to everyone else. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the card and have a lovely Sunday!

A Couple Thank You Cards

Wow, I didn't realize I'd been missing for so long! My last post was over two months ago! The good news is I did great this last semester and aced all my classes even though the work load was more than I'll probably ever take again, lol. It's just way too hard to take 6 classes and still take care of a family, well for me anyway, especially since I feel like I have to give 100% to everything ;) The bad news is that I've spent the last 2 1/2 weeks sick and more than a week of it practically bedridden because I have both viral and bacterial infections to get over. I've basically been down and out pretty much the entire time I had for the semester break since I'm taking summer courses. But I am feeling a bit better now. After I lost my voice, my visiting teachers brought our family dinner for two nights plus enough to last for leftovers for a few nights more. I really wanted to make them thank you cards, since it helped us out so much. So I had logged on last week just long enough to check out Sparkle's challenge, which was to use flowers, and there was a sketch for a challenge site she was hosting that week too. Here's the first card I made. I used the challenges, but didn't enter in time since I didn't feel well enough to edit the photos or post to the bloggo before today.

And here's the second card I made. I really wanted to try those rosettes that Sparkle had made months ago, and finally got the chance to try them out. My first ones were a little tight, they look more like spirals than rosettes, hehe. These second ones look a bit more like rosettes. Hopefully they aren't completely out of style yet, since I loved making them and think they are darling! And I just realized after looking at the photo that I didn't finish shading in her shirt! I hope that went unnoticed since Debra is a crafter herself, lol. The cards have long since been delivered by my sweetie hubby who has spent the last 2 weeks taking care of 3 sick girlies (yes, my poor daughters were sick as well though thankfully not as badly as I was). I haven't hugged, kissed, or even gotten to hold my little cuties for nearly 2 weeks now! I just don't want to get them to catch what I have since it's been so bad. But since today I'm feeling much better, I'm hoping by the weekend I'll be well enough to make up on all those missed snuggles! Thanks for sticking around ;) And I hope you enjoy the cards!

Woodland Delight Dresses

I heart this fabric so much and I'm so glad I've been able to get 2 full dresses out my scant purchase of it, lol. A couple weekends back, right before the kiddos got sick with RSV I made a couple dresses for C using the peasant dress option from the Claire pattern by Portabellopixie. Sandi doesn't seem to have any in the shop right now and even though she sells them online, I got mine from a local quilt shop during the summer. It's a great pattern and I've had fun with the peasant shirt and dress options so far. I haven't gotten pictures of the first dress yet even though she's already worn it about 4-5 times since I put it together ;) But here's the second one I made, using some of the leftover fabrics from A's dress last summer.

I sized up to an 8 with the dress, just like with the shirt pattern so that C can wear it a bit longer. While the first dress shirred great I was actually worried with this one since the fabrics are higher quality and so they are a bit thicker. I wasn't sure how it would shirr and after ironing, it seemed the dress would be too big. But a toss in the wash shrunk the shirring down a lot more than my simple blasts of steam and I'm happy to say C can wear it and has worn it plenty since it's been made!

Here are the girls together, both of them in their woodland delight dresses. I still have a little of this fabric left over ;) I'm looking forward to figuring out if I can get another full shirt or skirt out of what I've got left. Paul is all excited for Dragon Age II, which has it's midnight releasing tonight. He and Mark will be going to pick it up at midnight since we'll be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for the drive up to SLC for the surgery. Of course being a guy his priority is making sure he gets his game before we have to leave, even if he doesn't get to play it right away, lol. I have to admit as his gaming-nerd wife that I'm excited too, but I'm trying to ignore it since I don't really have time to play with all the homework I've been bringing home lately. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this peek at C's newest spring dress and have a wonderful week!

Wishing You Well

It's not often that I try to make 'pretty' cards rather than cute cards ;) Though I love the look of pretty cards, they always seem formal to me, like I'm making wedding cards or something, lol. I made this card for two challenges, the Cupcake Insprirations challenge which features a lovely spring cupcake, and the ESS #120 sketch. The colors in the cupcake are so gorgeous, and just from looking at it I knew I'd be making something a bit out of my usual zone. Sure enough, putting this card together was really out of my zone. I had almost no purple paper and cardstock, which didn't really surprise me since I rarely use it, but I also had almost no green papers as well. That was a surprise given that I find green goes with quite a bit! In the end it was the stamps that pulled off this card, which aren't my usual image stamps of late either, and thank goodness I at least have a decent range of inks, lol. So now I've got to get back to working on my social-cultural analysis paper, but this was definitely a nice break from all my homework! Enjoy the card and have a lovely Sunday!

Have a Rockin' Good Birthday

Today is our friend Mark's b-day and this is the card I made for him. I made the card with Sparkle's challenge this last week, which is to use punches. I don't really have any manly punches so I figured circles would have to do. I really like the way this card came out. It's just circles punched out and put on top of another piece of pattern paper, so the card is really simple, but the patterns make it so fun! Anyway, I've been bombarded with homework and life this past week, so finally getting to make this card was a much needed pick-me-up. At least for the next few hours ;)

Last Thursday we got a call from the dermatologist. They had gotten the results back on Paul's biopsy and the test came back that the mole was malignant, meaning it was a melanoma cancer. However, the good news is that it hasn't metastasized at all and he'll just need a simple surgery to make sure they get all of it out, plus we're getting an amazing doctor, apparently, for the surgery. We go up to SLC on Tuesday for that and they'll do a full body scan to make sure there are no more. The part that really sucked for Paul was that he called his mom to tell her about what was going on, and found out that his parents are getting divorced. My poor hubby. So far he says he's actually fine with it all and said he had seen signs of the problems mom had mentioned to him were the reasons for the split back 16 years ago when he lived at home, but I can't help but worry about the poor guy.

Then on top of the worrying I found out that the House passed a bill to lower the amount of Pell Grants given out, drastically reduce the amount any person can receive for the Pell, and completely cut out other student programs to help with funding. I wrote my letters to our senators against passing it in the Senate but it's hard to know what will happen. The Pell Grant has been the only way I've been able to afford going back to school, so I'm stressed about what we'll do if the bill actually passes. I really hope it doesn't. Add that to mid-terms week. Blah. Next weeks schedule promises to be busy still but after that it's spring break and I totally need it! Hopefully I can hold out going crazy with life until then. Anyway, thanks for letting me spout about our weekly drama. On a happier note, I was featured as the sketch artist Thursday on Eat Sleep and Stamp for my ketto card last week using the #119 sketch! So a definite ego pick-up for me ;) I hope you all enjoy the card and have a wonderful Sunday!