{ First Luggage Tag }

Stamp Sets: Short Order Alpha, Delight in Life (retired) Ink: Chocolate Chip & Pretty in Pink Paper: Whisper White, Spring Flowers Designer Paper (retired) Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds, Crystal Effects, Luggage Tag and Clip (from Walmart), White Taffeta Ribbon, Chocolate Grosgrain (retired), White Grosgrain, Narrow Silver Organdy (retired), other assorted ribbon from Michaels

This is my very first luggage / ID tag! I've seen a lot of people making these little cuties for their kids and thought that they were so adorable! Since I have no kids of my own, I thought I'd make one for my little neice. I'm happy with how it turned out. I especially love how the center of the flower turned out! I put a dab of Crystal Effects in the middle of the flower and then poured Dazzling Diamond on it and let it dry overnight. I think it added just the right amount of "bling" to this project.

Enjoy!

{ Shake Up }

Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs Ink: Always Artichoke, So Saffron and Basic Black Paper: Bordering Blue, So Saffron, Always Artichoke and Naturals Confetti Accessories: Twill Tape and Pewter Hodgepodge

I made this card for a swap that I was in recently. This is actually an old Make-and-Take kit that SU! had for sale to demos a couple of years ago. I rediscovered it while reorganizing my craft room. I've been working on my room so it will hopefully allow me to be more productive. I am really striving to become better at my craft. I'm sure others feel the way I do sometimes, but I feel like I just need a little push, a shake up - something different. I guess my way of doing that has been to reorganize, hoping that it will jump start my creative juices. I'll let you know how that goes and will be sure to share pictures when I'm done!

{ Tent Topper Addiction }

Stamp Sets: Fresh Fruits (retired), Shore Thing (retired) and That's Nice (retired) Ink: Glorious Green, Yo-Yo Yellow and Only Orange Paper: Glorious Green, Yo-Yo Yellow and Whisper White Accessories: Tangerine Grosgrain (retired) and Celery Grosgrain, Crystal Stickles, Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch & Only Orange Marker

Hello, my name is Clara and I am a Tent Topper card addict.

I can't explain my attraction to this layout. Every time I go to make a card, I can only think of this one layout. I try to branch out and force myself use other layouts, but then I only think of how much *cuter* if it were in the tent topper layout. It is just so easy to use, looks super cute, and is fun to make! I know that my addiction is my fault, and only I can break the cycle, but I blame Michelle Wooderson (from Mish Mash) for creating and sharing this wonderful design. (So what if my addiction is still in the denial stage?) *sigh* Oh how oh how did this start? When will it end? I don't think I know ...

lol ... what makes this so funny is that it is *actually* true!

{ Elegant Grapes }

Stamp Sets: Linen, Gorgeous Grapes (retired) Ink: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, Creamy Caramel & Whisper White Paper: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss & Whisper White Accessories: Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch, Cuttlebug "Textile" Embossing Folder, SU! White Wide Organdy (retired), May Arts Dotted Organdy

Oh how I love this set! I think that it is so simple, elegant and versatile. I mean, grapes can be masculine or feminine, young or old, contemporary or vintage ... *sigh* why did they have to retire this set? Oh well, it will never leave my collection! I was really trying to go with an elegant feel here, and I think I accomplished it. Wouldn't this make a beautiful wedding/anniversary card?

Anyway, I also got to use my new Cuttlebug "Textile" Embossing folder. I rubbed a little bit of Whisper White ink on it to make the embossing "pop" a bit more. I just *love* this folder! It is my absolute *favorite* one of all the embossing folders they make. When I initally ordered my Big Shot, this was the first thing on my order, but the company was out of them, so I ordered it from All That Scraps and just *had* to throw in some of this yummy dotted organdy ribbon from May Arts that I have seen everyone using. It is just too cute!

Enjoy!

{ New Goodies! }

Do you see this pile of beautiful new stuff? Oh, I am *so* excited! This is my first order out of the new catalog. I swear I think I heard angels sing when I finally got it! *wink* It's a long story, but I practically had to run this package down!

Anyway, as soon as I get it into the house, I usually run upstairs switch into comfy clothes (instead of my work ones), grab my Craft & Rubber scissors, the tray that I keep the useable extra rubber pieces in, then run back downstairs to the box where I check the contents versus the order form, I separate the sets from everything else and then start cutting away at the new rubber! I am so into this routine that I had to remind myself all week to remember to snap a picture first! Doesn't it just look yummy? I had told myself that I was going to stick to just my minimum for this quarter, and I was only $3 over it when I went to put in my order. When I told my hubby that I was about to put it in, he surprised me and told me to add a few more items to my order! I had told him that I really liked the "Boho West" collection, but really needed to stock up on cardstock and ribbon/accessories, so I would only get a couples sets, only 1 of which was going to be from that collection (I chose Fabulous Flowers), 1 punch (the scalloped circle), and 1 accessory (the jumbo eyelets) from the collection this quarter. Well, he surprised me and let me get the other sets, wheel, punch and paper. I was so excited! So, here is how my order broke down:

Sets:

• Fabulous Flowers



• Wanted



• Bronc Buster



• Weathered Background



• Polka Dot Background



• Baroque Background



• Starstruck



• Mistletoe Wheel



• Wild About You



• Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel



• Bronco Wheel



• Party Punch Hostess Set



• In the Spotlight Hostess Set

Ink/Paper:

• Groovy Guava Ink Pad, Ribbon & Cardstock



• Purely Pomegranate Ink Pad & Cardstock



• River Rock Ink Pad, Ribbon & Cardstock



• Groovy Guava Designer Series Paper



• Textured Neutrals (cannot wait to use this - I've heard so many good things about it)



• Brushed Copper Cardstock



• Brushed Silver Cardstock



• Sahara Sand Cardstock



• Pretty in Pink Cardstock



• Blush Blossom Cardstock



• Almost Amethyst Cardstock



• Taken with Teal Cardstock



• Pink Passion Cardstock



• Pixie Pink Cardstock



• Tempting Turquoise Cardstock



• Outlaw Designer Series

Accessories:

• Stampin Scrub Refill Pads



• 5 Petal Flower Punch



• Star Punch



• Scallop Circle Punch (this is the only thing that didn't come yet - it is backordered)



• 5/8" Chocolate Grosgrain



• Glassy Glaze (can't wait to try the cracked glass technique)



• Silver Brads



• Color Index Labels



• Aged Copper Hodepodge



• Pewter Jumbo Eyelets



• 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain



• 3/8" Whisper White Taffeta



• 1/4" Very Vanilla Grosgrain



• 1/4" Elegant Eggplant Grosgrain



• 1/4" Certainly Celery Grosgrain

Now, off to organize then create with all this beautiful stuff!

{ Sparkly Fish }

Stamps: All Wrapped UP ( retired), Simple Shapes Paper: Gable Green, Cool Caribbean, Marigold Morning & Watercolor Ink: Cool Caribbean, Marigold Morning & Stazon Black Accessories: Michael's spool ribbon, Copper Cord, Copper Brads, Silver Cord, Silver Brads, Crystal Stickles, Wiggle Eyes & Cuttlebug "Happy Birthday" Embossing Folder

When I went to a shoebox swap a couple of months ago, I showed the cards to my sister who just *loved* this little fish. I haven't used this set much, so I thought I'd pull it out and make some birthday cards for her to use. Plus, it gave me an excuse to use my new "Happy Birthday" embossing folder - any excuse to use my new Big Shot! You can't tell by this picture (maybe if you enlarge it) but there are stickles on the fish to make him sparkly and I gave him wiggle eyes - too cute! I'm remembering that I really like this set and have told myself to use it more.

Enjoy!

{ Wedding Tent Topper }

Stamp Sets: Happy Harmony Paper: Moss, Amethyst, Pretty in Pink, Banana & White Ink: Pretty in Pink, Amethyst & Celery Accessories: Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch, Slit Punch, White Grosgrain, D'Vine Embossing folder & $1 Spot Target Rhinestone Brads

Remember this post back in March when I went on a mini rant about sizes when I had to go get a bridesmaid's dress? Well, this past weekend was that wedding. I whipped up these cards just for the occasion. Well, actually, I whipped up the one on the right and liked it so much that I made another one! I'm sorry the picture is a bit blurry, but I had yet to pack when I made these and had to snap a quick picture, fill out the card and get a move on! I'll try to do better next time. Anyway, yes, it's another tent topper. Are you tired of these yet? They are just to quick and fun to put down! *Love* them (and Michelle for designing them).

This card features my new toy - a Big Shot!!! :D I am *so* excited to finally own one of these beauties. I've seen tons of gorgeous cards made with this machine (or the similar Big Kick or Cuttlebug) and have been dying to make one of my own. For my birthday my parents gave me some extra money to spend and I got a Big Shot and asked my hubby to let me spend some money on dies/embossing folders for an early anniversary present. So, I am now the proud owner of a beautiful Big Shot and can already tell that it will be getting a lot of use!

Enjoy!

{ 2 Years and Counting! }

Today is my hubby's and my 2 year anniversary. I thought that on this special occasion, I would take this opportunity to share with you the reasons why I love, respect and appreciate my partner in life.

• He supports me completely. It doesn't matter what it is - career decisions, my (somewhat crazy and definitely expensive) hobby, weight loss, etc - if it is important to me, it's important to him. I couldn't ask for a better person to have in my corner. He truly is my "rock."
  


• He's funny. He can be so goofy sometimes, and I love it. Actually, it was his sense of humor that made me begin to fall in love with him. It's a long story, but it involves me being in the ER, worried to bits and in extreme pain, but he was still able to make me laugh - now isn't that something? I'm not going to say that he is always able to do laugh, because sometimes I am just too angry, stressed or frustrated, but I really have to give him credit for always trying to make me smile.
  


• He's smart. He wouldn't admit it, and he never flaunts it, but he is smart ... really smart. I've always been attracted to smart guys or guys who are really super good at something. With one guy it was English/grammar, one was theatre, one was airplanes/flight, but with my husband, it's several things - meteorology, geography, cars, math, teaching, pretty much anything he puts his mind to. The ones that I respect (and get most use of *wink*) the most are math, teaching and cars. He is a mathematician - and a pretty darn good one at that. He is well respected in his field and has several published papers. His skills are most helpful to me when I'm working on recipes and wondering how to fix a 6 person recipe for 2, when I want to get the most squares out of a 8.5 x11 sheet of paper for a swap that I am working on, or when trying to figure out how many Weight Watcher points a certain food is. I often tell him that I married a mathematician so I would never have to do math again! He works for the government right now, but used to teach math for a little while (and will be going back to that in a year or two) and was a darn good teacher. He is very inspiring and is able to break down concepts in a way that you are able to grasp it. He is very animated when he teaches which keeps the student's attention quite well. As for cars, he can fix just about any car problem that comes up. Well, if he has the right tools. It's not like we can keep an engine lift in our small townhouse or anything. But, if he can't manually do it, he at least knows *how* it is supposed to be done and can make sure that it was done correctly. I love having a man in my life that can take care of the manly things like that. I always knew that my husband would be good with cars. I'm not sure how I knew, but I did!
  


• He takes out the trash and kills any/all bugs that get in the house ... enough said!

• He's the *best* cuddler! There is nothing we like doing more on a weekend then sitting on the couch cuddling to a movie/t.v.
  


• He gets along with my family. My parents simply *adore* him. I sometimes even think that my Mom likes him better than me - they just get along so well! Even my Dad, who like most Dads, feels that no one is good enough for me, likes him very much. He just fits in so well with the family. I remember after our wedding reception, my family (who is spread out all over the US and even Australia) decided that they wanted to spend more time together since they were all finally in the same city and went to an outdoor Mexican restaurant. Well, I had forgotten my purse and had to meet up with my sister to get it, so we met her at the restaurant. After seeing all my family together, I really wanted to stay (which that alone says something about how wonderful my husband is since he was willing to spend yet more time with my family rather than be alone on our first night as a married couple). So, we are hanging out with my family, and I look over and see my husband off to the side of the deck with my Pop (biological father), Dad (step-father) and brother just drinking beer and smoking cigars laughing and joking and having a good time. It was so great to see them all getting along so well, like he had just blended into my family. It meant so, so much to me.

I guess I could simply say that he is just good to me. He respects me, puts my needs (and wants) before his own, he loves me deeply and truly and he takes care of me. He could be nothing but that and I would still be a lucky woman. But since I have that in addition to all the above, I remember today that I am a really lucky woman.

I love you Sweetie, Happy Anniversary.

{ Masculine Birthday }

Stamp Sets: Lovely As A Tree, Warm Words, Linen Paper: Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel & Very Vanilla Ink: Bravo Burgundy & Creamy Caramel Accessories: Copper Eyelets, Copper Cord & Corner Rounder

Can you believe that SU! retired *all* of their copper stuff with the single exception of paper and hodgepodge? That means ink, ink refills, cord, eyelets and embossing powder - all gone! I was in complete shock! I mean, I use copper *a lot* in the fall and on masculine cards, like this one. I just think that there is something very masculine about copper ... don't know why. Especially with the "Boho Western" collection that they have right now - it just screams to be embellished with copper! *sigh* Oh well ... there isn't much I can do about it ... well, besides complaining. So, on to the card! I'm sorry for the blurry picture. I think I might ask for a new high powered camera for Christmas this year ... or maybe just a camera stand, lol. I'm not sure what happened here. Anyway, I made this for a birthday swap that I was in and decided that since I never had enough masculine birthday cards, that my fellow swappers probably didn't either, so I made it my goal to make one! The layout used here is one of my favorites. I think it is clean, simple, yet really makes your main image "pop." From the blurriness of the picture, you may not be able to tell that I stamped my Linen background stamp in Not Quite Navy onto the Not Quite Navy card. It gives that big open space a little something too, but it still looked too "open" to me, so I added the two brads in the lower right hand corner. I just love brads, they are probably my favorite embellishment right after ribbon/cord. They are just so easy to use and are so versatile. Okay, enough gabbing for now ... back to work!

{ Watercolored Tiles }

(Click on the Picture to Enlarge)

Stamps: Summer by the Sea, Seaside Sketches Ink: Black Stazon Accessories: Watercolor crayon, Blending Pens & Aquapainters

First off, I am going to start with the disclaimer that I'm not sure if watercolor crayons are the best thing to use for this project, but to me, these images just beg to be watercolored and I couldn't resist! Okay, that being said, these are some coasters that I also made for my friend who recently got married. Her and her husband are really into beachy stuff, and I thought these images would be perfect for them. These are simply tumbled marble tiles that I picked up at Lowes and stamped on them! I have talked about how to do these tiles before, (here) but those were solid images. With line images, you can color them in a couple ways, with sharpies, bake and you're done (which is what I usually do) or with chalks, then spray with sealant (though I've heard that hairspray works too). I've never heard of anyone doing it with watercolor crayons, but I thought I'd give it a try. I watercolored them with mostly aquapainters, but to get a more concentrated color in some spots, I used a blender pen - again, I'm not sure if this is the "official" way as I am pretty sure that aquapainters/watercolor brushes are the recommended way to use the crayons, but I thought I'd be brave and give it a try. So, after coloring them, I baked them for just about 10 minutes (which melted the crayons a bit thus lightening the colors and making them spread to gave a really nice effect, I thought) and sprayed them down with hairspray. To test them, I took one and placed it on a kitchen towel with and ice cube on top. When the ice cube had melted, I wiped the water off, and nothing smeared, so I declared my technique an small victory. Since I have given them away, I'm not really sure how they are holding up. I guess I'll check back in a couple months to see if they are using them regularly and how they are doing. I'll let you know when/if I find out. But hey, they're pretty, right?

{ Another Tent Topper }

Stamps: Mixed Bouquet, Papertrey's Faux Ribbon Paper: Vintage Violet, Cranberry Crisp, Whisper White Ink: Vintage Violet, Marigold Morning, Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme, Whisper White Accessories: Cranberry Crisp Stitched Grosgrain, Marvy Uchida Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Marvy Uchida Mega Circle Punch, Crystal Stickles, Paper Piercer

Can you tell that I am just *in love* with these tent topper cards? Oh, they are just so much fun! I can't get enough. Even after designing the previous card for the swap, I just had to do another card with this layout. I am also excited that I finally used a stamp from my new Papertrey Ink set, Faux Ribbon. My hubby is such a sweetie and surprised me with it for my birthday which was June 28th. I've been really wanting to play with it, but this is the only time I've used it so far. I am just so happy with how this card turned out. I don't think that you are able to tell in this photo, but there is crystal Stickles on the large red rose and it just gives the card so much "umph."

{ Inspiring CASE }

Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery, Whisper White & Blush Blossom Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Blush Blossom Accessories: White Grosgrain, Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch, Slit Punch

I went to a wonderful Shoebox Swap today! The hostess was my new stamping friend, Kristen, who lives like 10 minutes from me! I am so excited to have someone to share with so close! It was so great to be around other crazy stamping ladies like me! *wink* This is the card that I designed for it, but I can not take full credit for the design. The only thing that was out of my own mind was the colors. The layout was one that I saw at a previous shoebox swap that I was in (I'm sorry that I can't remember your name to give you full credit, but if you're looking at this, please email me and I will!), but I believe that Michelle Wooderson originated the "Tent Topper" idea. Her blog can be seen over to the left, it is called "Mish Mash." The scalloped strip was made with the slit punch and I believe Julia Stainton came up with that idea. There is a tutorial on her blog here. Also, I'm not sure if you can see it, but the littlest flower from Baroque Motifs are peeking out from the strip of Elegant Eggplant. That idea came from "LindaKeal" over at Splitcoast. So, yeah, this card is a total CASE (Copy and Share Everything) from several different cards, but hey, isn't that what sharing is all about - inspiring others?

{ Mr. & Mrs. Cavey }

Stamps: Headline Alphabet Paper: Cameo, Banana, Celery, Moss, Bashful, Just Delightful SS Kit Ink: Cameo, Banana, Celery, Moss, Bashful Accessories: Pewter Hodgepodge, Rustic Retreat Ribbon Originals, Staple, Linen Thread, Yellow Grosgrain Ribbon

This is another one of my favorite projects from the past month or so. Can you tell that I just *love* to make name frames? I think I like making them even more than cards! Shocking, I know! They are just so much fun to embellish! The paper and the stickers on this were from one of my favorite Simply Scrappin' Kits, Just Delightful. It is now retired as it was a Sell-A-Bration kit.

One of my best childhood girlfriends got married on June 2, and this is her new last name! I was so honored to be one of her bridesmaids. She was supposed to be one of mine, but had an internship come up that summer that she just could not get out of - it proved to be a really great opportunity for her. Anyway, hope this inspires you to try making a name frame of your own!

{ Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? }

You scored as Sleeping Beauty, Your alter ego is Princess Aurora, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty! You are beautiful and enchanting, and as sweet as ever. Sleeping Beauty 81% The Beast 63% Cinderella 56% Pinocchio 56% Goofy 50% Donald Duck 44% Ariel 44% Snow White 38% Peter Pan 31% Cruella De Ville 13% Which Disney Character is your Alter Ego? created with QuizFarm.com

Ohmigosh! How wonderful is this! Sleeping Beauty is my *fav* Disney movie (and I own almost all of them), followed very closely by Beauty and the Beast! Okay, so I would have preferred to be 63% Belle, and not the Beast, but I guess I'll deal!

{ Apologies & Pinwheels }

Okay, so I know that I owe some big apologies. I haven't written in a *long* time. In my defense, things have been super busy around here. It has just been one thing after another for the past month: a romantic/scenic get-a-way to see the Luray Caverns (something I've always wanted to do), my girlfriend's wedding (I was a bridesmaid), babysitting my niece, a shoebox swap, findng/getting fitted for a bridesmaid's dress for my cousin's wedding (on the 14th), a big project at work, my birthday, the new SU! Catalog release (did I just hear some angels sing?) and I'm sure that there is something else that I am forgetting. Anyway, it's not that I didn't want to write, I just had very little free time and decided to use that time to either be with my hubby or to stamp! Can ya blame me?

Anyway, I do have a few projects to share with you, but I'll have to pace myself. For the first one, I thought I'd show you one of my favorites. This was my design for the shoebox swap. I found the tutorial on the Stamp Monkey's blog (see a link over to the left).

Stamps: Warm Words, Fine Lace Ink: Close to Cocoa, Versamark Paper: Pretty in Pink, Loves Me Designer Series (retired), Close to Cocoa, Whisper White Accessories: Small & Large Tag Punch, 1/2"Punch

Isn't it adorable? I think it would be perfect for a little girl's birthday card, don't you? The one that was featured on Stamp Monkeys was an actual working pinwheel that spun, but mine is glued down. I thought it would just make it simpler. I wanted something simple but that also had a bit of a "Wow" to it, and I think this accomplished that!