Vacation oops

Hi all! I did an 'oops' with my vacation plans as far as my blog is concerned. I got a new laptop for my birthday (woo hoo!!!) and brought it with me to the beach, but forgot to transfer the pictures of my cards to the new computer - duh!! So I have no new cards to share with you until I get back. Sorry! You'll just have to make do with some pictures of my kiddos on vacation, since that's all I've got. We missed two beach days thanks to Hurricane Irene (the waves were too dangerous) but we really dodged a bullet with that one, thank goodness. We spent half a day at the Brevard Zoo and a whole day at Disney's Hollywood Studios and we sweated our butts off but had a lot of fun too. The kids got their faces painted in the late afternoon so that's what those pictures are. See you back in a few days!


Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)Stamps:Cardstock:Ink:Other Stuff:

Fall anyone??

Like most north Texans, I am SO OVER this summer. Seriously, the 100 degree plus days have just worn me out. I haven't even been stamping much lately
:-( But I did get a boost when my goodies from the new holiday mini showed up. One of my favorite things was this single stamp, Leaves of a Tree. I've been using my markers and different color combos and loving all of them. Poppy parade has not been one of my favorite colors, but I really like it paired with fall colors - it gives such a nice "pop" of color (heh heh).
I've only got a couple more days of hard labor at work (a total of 14 days straight, not that I'm counting or anything) and then I'll be off for what is probably my most earned vacation in a decade. I'm planning on doing a lot of digital scrapbooking and getting some of my Christmas gifts done well before the holidays (as they haven't quite gotten done the past couple years). No fear, I'm still planning on blogging so check back often starting next week!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Leaves of a tree, Fabulous phrases
Cardstock: Poppy parade, Peach parfait, Early espresso, Very vanilla
Ink: Early espresso, Peach parfait
Other Stuff: Markers (poppy, peach parfait, daffodil delight, early espresso, soft suede), Houndstooth EF, Daffodil delight taffeta ribbon, Early espresso striped ribbon (retired but you can still get it in soft suede), curly label punch

A pick-me-up

A card can really make a difference sometimes. A lady I work with recently had her apartment broken into and she was really devastated. Having been through a similar situation when my sister and I lived in the 'hood, I had some idea of how awful and violated and scared she felt. You can't fix that, but you can try to let people know that you understand why they feel how they feel and give them hope that they will feel better in time. With this type of situation she was lucky because all she lost was stuff, and stuff can be replaced. But it's still scary, and it makes you mad that people came in and took stuff that you worked so hard for and meant so much to you. But in the end, it's really not the end of the world and stuff can be replaced. I made her this card and she almost cried when she opened it. She kept it at her desk the rest of the week and whenever she started to feel really down she read it again and told me it made her feel better and it reminded her that it really is just 'stuff.' The sentiment is from a new set in the catalog this year, Pursuit of Happiness. In case you can't read it on the card itself, it says "Everything will be okay in the end. If it isn't okay, it isn't the end." Words to live by.

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps:Inspired by nature, Pursuit of Happiness
Cardstock: Basic gray, Whisper white, Wisteria wonder, Flirtatious Specialty DSP, Elegant eggplant
Ink: Markers: Elegant eggplant, Wisteria wonder, Old olive
Other Stuff: Frost white shimmer paint spritz, Basic gray satin ribbon, Scallop edge border punch, dimensionals

Fun cool birthday

My daughter is going to one of her best little friend's birthday this weekend, so I had to make him a 'cool' birthday card. Borderlines is becoming one of my go-to stamp sets from the new catalog. I used a card sketch from a Splitcoast challenge that just worked perfectly with the polka dots as well as my new favorite birthday stamp set Bring on the Cake. The colors are fun and cool, perfect for a new 4 year old!
Today is my wonderful mom's birthday!!! Of course I can't share her card with you (yet) since she hasn't seen it yet. I'll save that for another day. Love you mom!!!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Borderlines, Bring on the cake
Cardstock: Bashful blue, Pacific point, Pear pizzazz, Whisper white
Ink: Bashful blue, Pacific point, Pear pizzazz, Real red
Other Stuff: Corner rounder punch, circle punches, Perfect details texturz plate, Markers, dimensionals, sponges

Hello baby

One of my friends had a beautiful baby girl a little over a week ago so this card is in the mail on the way to the happy family. She did the nursery in purples and pinks so of course I had to make a card in the same colors (I also made her a small scrapbook album in those colors too - maybe one day I'll take the time to post those pictures since I actually had the foresight to photograph them before I gave it away, but I'll have to be awfully ambitious one day). Anyway, I digress . . . this card is probably going to be my new go-to card for babies. It's super-cute and appropriate for both boys and girls if you change up the color scheme. Perfect!!! AND, my big super-tricky trick for this card is that I MADE MY OWN BUTTONS. Yes, really!!! It's not hard, but it does take a little foresight because you have to make them at least a day ahead of time so they have time to dry completely. With the new Button Buddies stamp set in the new catalog, making your own buttons is practically a necessity!

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Button buddies, Its a wrap occasions
Cardstock: Pink pirouette, Wisteria wonder, Elegant eggplant, Whisper white
Ink: Pretty in pink, Wisteria wonder, Elegant eggplant
Other Stuff: Perfect polka dots EF, Dotted scallop ribbon border punch, 3/4" circle punch, Paper piercer, White baker's twine, Crystal effects, mat pack, Basic rhinestones

Looking forward to fall

As it continues to be hotter than hades, I long for fall, with cool fall nights and warm (not hot!) fall days. So today's card is my longing for fall. I used some new goodies from the new Stampin'Up! big catalog that just came out in July: Well worn designer series paper and the Houndstooth embossing folder.

Card Supplies: (All supplies from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted)
Stamps: Plant hope, Wonderfully worn
Cardstock: Soft suede, Cajun craze, Not quite navy, Very vanilla
Ink: Soft suede, Cajun craze
Other Stuff: Houndstooth EF, sponges, Linen thread, metallic brads, mat pack